Villain Retirement

"Have you come to visit… our master?"

"..."

With the pistol pointed at her, Empress could only let out a small grunt; not daring to take a single step as she slowly raised her hand.

[Whiteking, we need you.]

"Ah, Whiteking. Your king in shining white armor."

The woman, Aurora, flimsily waved her pistol as she dragged a seat near Empress, calmly and casually sitting in front of her as she once again pointed her gun at Empress.

"Trust me, both you… and your associate would be dead by the time he gets here," Aurora then turned to look at Darkday, who was standing a meter away from Empress; still just looking at the stats on the screen like a bunch of men waving guns didn't just enter the room.

"Care to explain what my power is to our mighty Darkday?"

"..."

"But wow," Aurora then raised her voice as she gestured her men to surround Darkday; all of them, pointing their rifles directly to his head,

"To think a member of the Hope Guild and Darkday would actually work together, to what? Rescue Megawoman?"

"So you're really keeping her here?" Empress then said as she tried to approach Aurora; but as soon as Aurora stretched the gun closer to her, she took a step back as she once again raised her hand.

"You know very well not to make unnecessary movements, Adaeze," Aurora then said as she stood up, pushing her chair to the side; her gun, however, was still finely pointed right at the center of Adaeze's forehead,

"In case you're confused, Darkday; I mean if it's really you in that silly costume and not just some gimmick of the Hope Guild," Aurora rolled her eyes several times as she forced a chuckle,

"I am the strongest super in the entire world."

"..."

Everything in the room became quiet with Aurora's words whispering in the air; the only other sound that was perhaps being uttered was Empress's subtle scoff.

As for Darkday; well, he just turned to face Aurora, before scanning the guards that were now surrounding him.

"Oh, don't be so smug," Aurora groaned as she let out a long and very deep breath; holstering her weapon back before suddenly punching Empress without any warning. Empress was about to retaliate with a closed fist, but before she could do so, one of the guards shot her leg…

…and the bullet went through; causing her to fall to the ground.

"See?" Aurora giggled as she grabbed Empress by the hair, "Supers are powerless against me. I… have the power to nullify all of you just by being here."

"You…" And even with her leg bleeding, Empress's eyes still held a certain fire on them as she looked up at Aurora, "...Are you the one keeping Megawoman sedated?"

"Oh, come on, luv. You and I both know my abilities don't fully work on master," Aurora then approached Darkday, causing the guards to make way for her as she pointed her gun at him, "But I can weaken her just enough…

…but for normal supers, well… they go bye-bye."

"!!!"

And with those words, a thunder reverberated in the control room as Darkday slowly fell to the ground; first his knees, and then the rest of his body– almost like a marionette that with his strings suddenly clipped.

"Ah, bloody hell, that was it?" Aurora then almost gasped as she forced another chuckle, "The supervillain that everyone was so afraid of– gone with just a single bullet? It's hella anticlimactic if I say so myself."

"..." The guards that were surrounding Darkday could not help but just look at each other. Did… they really just kill the most heinous supervillain in the world just like that?

Doesn't this mean… they were the greatest heroes of the world?

"They should have honestly just sent me instead of all of you to deal with this fucker!" Aurora then started kicking Darkday's corpse.

"..." As for Empress, she only stared at Darkday's body, before turning to look at Aurora,

"What did they even pay you that you would betray Megawoman?" Empress muttered; finally lowering her hands as her breaths started to calm down, "She took care of us, of you."

"People rebel against their mothers, Adaeze. What made you think I am always going to be loyal to Megawoman?" Aurora once again giggled; almost making the guards wonder what was so funny. The man whose eyelids got ripped off by Darkday certainly wasn't laughing, they all thought.

"You… were good," Empress breathed out.

"That's just it, luv. We've come to the point that I have realized that just because you're good, doesn't mean the world will treat you any better. And besides…

…I am different from the rest of you, oh great Empress. I was born to get rid of supers."

"...What the fuck are you even saying?"

"Something that doesn't matter to a dead woman," Aurora then rushed in front of Empress, placing the nozzle of her gun directly on her forehead,

"I have to say though, this was a very nice reunion. But sadly, I have no time to chat. Bye-bye, old friend."

Aurora let out a small sigh as her index finger pulled the trigger; but before the gun could click, she felt something… stuck on the trigger. Or more specifically, there was a finger preventing the trigger from being fully pulled.

"...What?" Aurora's eyes then slowly trailed across where the finger came from… only to see Darkday standing beside her. "How… are you alive?"

"You should ask yourself that question, deserter."

"...Wha–" And before Aurora could even finish her words, a pint of blood spurted from her mouth. She then slowly looked down, only to see… Darkday's arm lunged into her stomach.

"Well, this is anticlimactic."

"H… how?" Aurora struggled to even open her mouth.

"I'm Themarian," Darkday whispered as he pulled his arm away from Aurora's stomach.

"..." As for Empress, she immediately rushed towards the guards– catching them off guard as she punched through each of their chests. It would seem she didn't even need to rush, as her abilities have already returned to her.

As for Aurora, she was now lying on the ground; her eyes, still trying to look at Darkday… and still completely confused as to what he said.

There… was another one?-- was probably what Aurora thought as she took her last breath.

"Why… would you say that?" Empress then muttered as she brushed away the blood that was on her arms.

"She said she was the strongest Super," Darkday casually said as… he crushed Aurora's head with his foot, "She lived in a lie, so she should die in a lie. Poetic, no?"

"..." Empress could only furrow her eyebrows upon hearing Darkday's words. He was completely different from how he usually is as Riley Ross; is it some kind of persona? Or is Darkday Riley Ross without a mask?

"But I might have underestimated you, Empress," Darkday then slowly approached Empress; his feet, leaving traces of Aurora's blood on the floor.

"...What?"

"The reason you brought me along was not to become a distraction," Darkday then said as he glanced at Aurora's headless corpse,

"But you knew all along that she would be here…

…didn't you?"

"..."

"..."

"...Yes."