Villain Retirement

Chapter 424: Zedekiah

Chapter 424: Zedekiah

"Dad! Grab… grab my hand!"

They were just watching the news when it happened. The battle that will decide the fate of the world, the ultimate battle between good and evil.

Riley vs. Megawoman.

It happened so fast. They were just on another continent, and then all of a sudden, the buildings outside their windows started to fall— and soon, Gary found himself holding his father's hand as the building they were in started to fall next.

It fell so fast. He didn't even know what shattered first, the floor or the ceiling. What was important was he had his father's hand…

…but then as the chaos died down, he found that was the only real thing he had, his father's hand. The rest of him, probably buried underneath all the destruction.

Gary didn't really know what to feel then— or even who to blame. He didn't even remember if that was what truly happened. He could really just watch as his mother and Darkday continue to tear through the city.

But now everything is clear. There really is only one person to blame for all of this— and Gary will stop at nothing to destroy him.

"I can't stop, I can't stop now."

"You're weak."

"Where are you!?"

Chaos. A hidden rage that went too deep and uncontained has finally burst forth from Gary as he was surrounded by nothing but chaos.

He tried to hide through it all. He tried to hide the pain inside him with laughter and smiles. Maybe he could forget, but no.

The rage that was caged inside him just grew, unknowingly but surely. But every day, he tried to ignore it— he tried not to feed it.

Perhaps that was his mistake. Because now that the cage inside him is opened, his rage has turned into something else.

A wild animal, hungry— it would eat anything that even dares to breathe.

Nothing mattered anymore. Not the cars burning around him, not the houses crumbling.

He needed to kill Riley Ross.

"Where are you!?"

He had been hearing his whispers since earlier— almost as if he was just behind him. Each time, his eyes lit up as he turned around, hoping to tear through the devil that is Riley Ross.

But each time, he wasn't there. What was, however, is the city that has now been scorched and thrown into chaos by no one else but him.

"!!!"

A small clanging whistled into Gary's ear as he saw a large garbage bin on the side of an alley move. And without even waiting for whatever it is, he quickly disappeared from his spot; his fists, now buried through the bin.

"Grah!" Gary then split the bin in half as he roared. And as the contents of the bin scatter, he also saw the face of a child— a child that seemed to have been hiding inside the bin.

But alas, like the bin, the child was now also cleaved in half.

"..." Gary stared at the child's face for a few seconds, before closing his eyes and shaking his head.

And after a few more moments, he just turned around.

As he did so, however, he found Silvie suddenly floating in front of him.

"..."

"..."

Silvie did not really say anything to him, and was just looking at the blood that was dripping from his hands; her eyes, filled with nothing but a sense of dismay.

"Why are you here?" Gary was the first to speak as he looked Silvie in the eyes.

"We're giving you a choice that we don't give to any other villains," Silvie breathed out as her feet slowly landed on the ground,

"Surrender peacefully, Gary Gray, or we will resort to using force to apprehend you."

"...Me?" Gary let out a stuttered breath, almost forcing a chuckle as he raised an eyebrow,

"Apprehend me!? What about Riley Ross!?"

"...Look around you, Gary," Silvie closed her eyes and sighed,

"This is one of the cities untouched by the House of Super… and you've destroyed it. You've killed innocent people, you killed a child," she then said as she looked at the corpse of the girl behind Gary.

"W— and Riley has killed millions more!"

"The numbers don't matter, Gary," Silvie's eyebrows began to furrow, "And are you seriously trying to compare yourself to Riley? You—"

"I am strong now!" Gary waved his hand as a smile crawled on his face, "Join me. T… together, I know we will be able to defeat Riley!"

"Riley… is no longer something we can hope to touch, Gary. You were there when he showed us how he destroyed Mar—"

"That doesn't matter! Do you see!? Do you see how strong I've become!?" Gary then stretched his hands to the side as he looked at all the damage he had done to the city.

"All I see is a good man that has become delusional," Silvie shook her head, "You have become the very thing you are trying to destroy. No…

…at least Riley is fully aware that he is a monster."

"Stop. Acting. Like you are better than me!" Gary's eyes suddenly lit up in red— but as he did so, a strong gale suddenly stormed towards him, moving all the dust and smoke through his eyes and causing him to slightly take a step back.

And as soon as he closed his eyes, several metal beams dropped around him, completely covering him in a circle— and before he could even see what was happening, the beams compressed and wrapped around his entire body, with the only thing left exposed being his mouth.

And with the metal beams now blanketing Gary, Hannah was revealed to be hiding behind one of them; her hands, quickly melting the edges of the beams to completely seal them.

Silvie also helped with her heat vision— and in just a matter of seconds, the Baby Crew was able to completely subdue Gary.

The metal beam that was used to constrict him used the same material as the testing halls of the Hero Association Tower.

It should be able to withstand a colossal amount of stress.

And yet, without even the Baby Crew having the chance to talk, Gary burst forth—no, he just calmly walked and ripped the metal apart like it was nothing.

"..." Even Gary himself seemed to be shocked by what he had just done. His wide and perplexed eyes, looking at his hands. His hands that seemed like they could now tear through anything that dared block their path.

Bella and Katrina, who were hiding somewhere in the walls of the broken buildings, quickly moved towards Silvie as they saw this; their eyes, looking at each other as if holding a hundred questions.

"..." Hannah also took this chance to take a few steps back as she looked at Gary from head to toe.

Silvie, however, did not wait for any answers as she disappeared from her spot, before suddenly appearing behind Gary with her foot already only inches away from his head.

A thunder then reverberated throughout the entire city as Silvie's foot… was caught by Gary.

"..." Gary very slowly turned his head to check his hand— his hand that did not even struggle or shake. He didn't even need to look, it was instinct— it was as if his hand moved on its own to catch Silvie's attack.

This is it.

This is what it means to be a themarian. Themarians are a race of warriors, the strongest beings in the universe— fighting is something that should come naturally to him.

This is it.

Gary is finally the main character.

A small smile then crawled on Gary's face as he tightened his grip on Silvie's foot. And without even saying anything, he swung his hand and threw Silvie away, causing her to shoot through several buildings as a skirt of wind surrounded her.

And very soon, his shoulders began to tremble. His smile, very slowly turning into a cackle.

"I… I told all of you," Gary then covered his face as his cackles became wilder, "I… I am special! I have always been destined to be special!"

"..." Hannah squinted her eyes, before subtly signaling with her hands for Bella and Katrina to retreat. But then, before she could even move anything else, Gary was suddenly right in front of her face.

"You," Gary then whispered as he looked Hannah straight in the eyes, "If I grab you hostage… would your psychopath of a brother show him—"

And before Gary could finish his words, Hannah placed her hands on his head.

"The two of you, check on Silvie now!" Hannah then said as the air around her started to distort,

"This might fucking hurt a little, Monarch."

And with those words, a sizzle whispered in the air. Gary gritted his teeth for the pain that was about to come… but it never did.

"...What?" Hannah could really only retract her hands as she took several steps back.

Gary, on the other hand, once again let out a visceral chuckle.

"I am the main character now, Hannah," Gary hummed, "It doesn't matter if I am evil or not… What matters is that I will be the hero that will rid this world of Riley Ross once and for all!"

Gary then rushed towards Hannah, his hands already locked to grab and restrain her.

"I'm disappointed, Gary,"

But before he could get near her, his path was suddenly blocked— almost like a brick wall with the weight of a thousand mountains, not allowing him to proceed any further,

"Not in you, but in me…

…Caitlain was right, I never really knew what it meant to be a mother."