Villain Retirement

A terrifying sight. None could really explain to you how it feels like to see your dead very slowly standing up; struggling, but standing up even so. Their movements are clumsy, very much so. And yet there is power with each waking fidget, with each whisper that seemed to be saying nothing at all, but also so much at the same time.

It is a terrifying sight, very much so. And perhaps even more so when your dead is actually still dead.

"No…"

Queen Adel has spent a good amount of time with the humans, and has actually even welcomed some of their culture — and that includes their entertainment; mainly movies, as the themarians sorely lacked in the creative department due to the nature of their person.

And of course, that involves one of their most popular genres, horror. And of course, by a matter of correlation, zombies. She didn't know all the details, but she knew enough that such a virus should really only exist in science fiction — and for the virus to be capable of infecting even themarians who should be immune to all diseases just pushed it up to the realm of fantasy.

But the genres don't matter. What mattered was what the virus did to its carrier… and this is the kind of brutal fate she would never wish even upon her worst enemies, perhaps maybe except Riley Ross.

And perhaps even more so because themarians value the sanctity of their death and the eternal peace that comes after. And now, the only thing she could do was watch as the children of her people begin their journey through this brutal fate.

"Hm. I was actually not expecting it to work," Riley whispered to himself as his arms that were still stretched to the side very slowly lowered. He nodded to himself, truly satisfied with what he had just achieved.

And slowly, like trees growing from the ground, the once glorious themarian youths now started to walk… limp.

Struggle.

There were even some versions of these zombies that Adel had watched which retained their memories. Or perhaps even worse, they are conscious. But since they are dead, the only thing they could really do was let their bodies take over — their instinct to hunt and feed on everything, even their own.

And since all of their heads were very slowly pointing toward her, Edith, and Esme… it was already starting.

"Riley… Riley Ross!" Queen Adel roared, causing all the clouds above her to just dissipate away again instantly, "I will not… I will truly not rest until you get what is coming for you, Ender! Never!"

"Then, at the very least, you do not need to be alone," And almost as if in complete contrast to the raging tone of the Queen, Riley just calmly started hovering a few inches above ground as he moved along with the monsters he had created,

"You do not have to thank me, Your Highness. Just make sure you take care of all of them once my intended purpose for them has been concluded."

"What have my people ever done to you!?" Queen Adel's teeth started to release some sort of static as her jaws started to tremble violently.

"You exist, Queen Adel," Riley let out a long and very deep sigh as the undead princess suddenly stopped chasing the illusion of Bard and appeared right in front of him. The undead princess did nothing at all and just stood in front of Riley, even as he brushed his hand across her chin,

"Is that not enough reason for me to antagonize you?"

"Then just put them to Eternal Sleep!" Queen Adel once again raised her voice; trying her best to resist the temptation of just trying to break the invisible dome there and then, "They still exist! Just end them instead of doing something like this!"

"It does not work like that, Your Highness," Riley sighed and shook his head, "You see, I have recently come to a realization, after being stuck inside eternity for… eternity, that I am a selfish person. That means…

…I get to choose what exists and what does not. These zombies do not exist, because I believe they no longer exist."

"Riley Ross…" This time, it was Edith who spoke; her voice, calm… but the calm one would find in the center of the storm,

"...I promise you, I will be the one to end you — it doesn't matter if there are no worlds left after I am done."

"Hm," Riley just shrugged at Edith's words before glancing at Princess Esme, the live one, "Do you wish to see what I am planning with your people, Your Highness?"

"Yes," Esme did not even hesitate for a single millisecond and nodded her head; her face, as emotionless as ever, "I have also heard that you and the others are preparing for a multiversal war, Professor. Is what you have just done related to the war by any chance?"

"Perhaps."

"Then I wish to also be involved with the war," Princess Esme placed her hand on her chin, clearly imitating Riley's habits and mannerisms, "I believe it is not fair that only a less desirable variant of mine would be included."

"I could argue that this variant of yours is the Prime variant, Princess Esme," Riley shook his head as he heard Esme's words, "It has all your abilities and strengths, yet none of your weaknesses."

"My prime version?" Princess Esme squinted her eyes, perhaps showing more emotion in a single moment than she ever had in a year, "Then I truly wish to witness that, Professor."

"Hm." And with Riley nodding his head, the perimeter that surrounded the Field of Crystals soon started to crack. And with it, the entire field started to float and separate from the rest of New Theran,

"Your Highnesses, I will take it upon myself to remove this already tainted and possibly infected area away from your planet. Once again, you do not need to thank me as I am doing this voluntarily."

"You…"

"I am also taking the corpse of my biological mother with me," Riley glanced at Alice's crystal, "After all, I do not know what you would do to it after all I have done to you and your people. And I will have you know that I am realizing that I am quite fond of Alice Lane."

"Princess Esme. Are you truly going to go with that maniac?" Queen Adel's voice turned harsh as she grabbed Esme's hand, "He is our enemy."

"..." Esme glanced at Queen Adel's hand for a few seconds, before just shaking her head, "Look at him again, Queen Adel. And then look at him again. Riley Ross has never been our enemy and never will."

"...What?"

"The Professor is merely a concept in which no one wins. The final path of our universe," Princess Esme shook her head, "We just happen to be the witnesses to this event that is Riley Ross. And whether you consider that lucky or not is up to yo. But instead of antagonizing him, I believe we should be spending our last moments embracing him and learning from him."

"..."

And with those words leaving from Esme's mouth, Adel and Edith could really only just watch as Riley floated a part of New Theran.

"I thought the fate of my people through the hands of Riley Ross was an injustice like no other," Edith whispered as she floated closer to Queen Adel; her breaths, slightly heavy as she looked at the floating island, "But it would seem the fate Riley has in store for your people is still not done, far from it. And as the eccentric princess said…

…perhaps I should consider myself lucky that I no longer have my people for him to play with."

***

"Riley, where have you—what the fuck are those!? And they're still coming!?"

Once again, the size of the space station adjusted itself as Riley started bringing in all the undead themarian he collected from his universe. And suffice it to say, Hera and all her variants felt a certain cold violently crawl through their skin as soon as they started arriving.

Thousands upon thousands of them, very slowly stepping through the portal; connected through chains that were all attached to their necks — and the one leading them was the undead princess who was still being dragged in the air inside her cage.

This time, however, it was Princess Esme who was pulling her cage like some sort of balloon.

"Riley, are those…"

"Oh."

And of course, no matter how busy Diana was with whatever it was she was discussing with Bard and her variants, she was able to quickly sense that something was wrong… and she immediately rushed to the auditorium; her eyes, instantly turning wide as she quickly recognized the faces of the army of the dead marching into their base.

"I hope you do not mind, Mother. I brought some of your dead here," Riley just casually shrugged as he glanced at the army of the dead behind him, "I figured they would be more useful somewhere else, rather than just becoming frozen figures that will just disappear once I destroy our universe."

"This…" Diana's breaths slightly turned heavy as her eyes reflected her people, who should have been resting peacefully for eternity. She then very slowly walked near the marching dead… before a smile started to crawl very, very slowly on his face, "...Are you planning on using this against us, Riley?"

"No," Riley shook his head.

"Then whatever it is you are planning…

…just continue it."