Villain Retirement

"Fuck! Where the fuck are we!? We should be thinking of how to rescue Silvie!"

"It says we're here."

"Are you sure Megawoman sent that, Hera!? Isn't she like in jail right now or something?"

"There's no jail in Theran, they prefer the term 'in strict surveillance'."

"Shut up, I wasn't talking to you. Just take care of the old woman."

"...I'm not a caregiver."

"Fuck if I care."

"..."

Hannah, Tsula, Hera, Tomoe, and Vera were currently in front of a lake; a colossal lake that might as well be a sea. But since the navigation system of Teera X120 still classifies it as a lake, then that is what it will remain—for the group, however, it didn't matter.

"..." Hannah squinted her eyes to try and see if there could be anything in the water since it was clear, but there was absolutely nothing but just rocks and some aquatic leaves; she already tried flying above the lake, but the water gets dark fast—a testament on how deep it was.

"There's nothing here! Let me have that!" And as Hannah's non-existent patience ran out, she grabbed the Teera X120 from Hera's hand. Hannah quickly tried fidgeting with the device, but the map wasn't responding to her touches,

"Is this shit broken or something?"

"I think only I can use it," Hera sighed as she snatched the device back, "I guess Megawoman thought that I'm the only trustworthy one out of all of us—and I'm not even supposed to be here."

"The fuck does that mean?" Hannah raised an eyebrow.

"It means you should start respecting me, girl," Hera slightly scoffed as she raised her head a bit; she was already literally looking down on Hannah since she was a couple of inches taller than her, but right now, she was making a statement,

"And I'm also older than you."

"Hierarchy doesn't work like that here," Hannah crossed her arms, "The strongest one should lead."

"Then, shouldn't I be leading?" Vera suddenly joined in on the conversation, "I am literally a superior race."

"Bitch, you're just fast," Hannah rolled her eyes as the air around her started to distort, causing Vera to slightly back away, "Come back to me when you can time-travel."

"I don't know about being the strongest…" Hera, on the other hand, even stepped closer to Hannah as her skin started to vibrate like scales, turning whiter with each rattle,

"...But I am sure I will be the last woman standing between the three of us if we fight."

"..." Hannah watched as Hera placed a finger on her shoulder, creating a small whisper to sizzle in the air,

"Want to fucking test that statement?" Hannah then said as she looked Hera in the eyes. She also turned to look at Vera, gesturing to her with her finger and taunting her to step closer.

"..." And all of a sudden, on this strange planet that was not theirs, three women were in a stand-off; their eyes, looking at each other like they were each other's prey.

"You children are so full of vigor."

"!!!"

And out of nowhere, the ground between them started to quake—and without even a moment later, the ground protruded and formed into a sphere, causing the three to have no choice but to stop their staring contest and back away.

And almost like a butterfly shedding its cocoon, the sphere burst and blossomed; revealing a dark-skinned woman whose long black hair reached almost to her ankles. Her long eyelashes, causing her dark eyes to almost seem larger than they are.

"The fuck?"

Her skin was also completely without blemish, and the group could see all of it from the fact that she was also completely naked.

"..." Hera, Hannah, and Vera then looked at each other again, before turning their heads to where Tsula should have been just idly sitting just a moment ago… only to see she was no longer there.

They then turned their eyes back to the brown-skinned woman in front of them, watching her as she stepped out of her cocoon and started brushing all the dirt and grass stuck on her skin; her bosoms that were surely previously almost reaching the ground, now filled with… vigor and bouncing with even the slightest of movements.

"No… No fucking way," a small chuckle then escaped Hannah's lips, "You could do that all this time!?"

"Did you just turn younger?" Hera raised an eyebrow, while Vera's eyes just started twitching from how random and weird the humans' abilititties are.

"No." And to confirm what they already know, Tsula spoke; her voice, only slightly changed from how it was before, "I'm still old and near death's door. Only my outer appearance changed—altered by this world's earth. As we are from dirt, dirt will decide my fate."

"What the fuck are you smoking?" There was still a slight chuckle in Hannah's breaths, "You mean you're just wearing dirt makeup?"

"Not exactly," Tsula shook her head, "Theran's earth now runs through my veins and I am directly connected to it—I can sustain life as long as it also lives. I feel what it feels."

"But you just said you were dying," Hera furrowed her eyebrows.

"Because the fact that all life will wither away will always be true," Tsula said as she softly raised her finger; and as she did so, the ground beneath her feet started to crawl over her—creating a sort of armor.

"That is OP as fuck," Hannah looked at the other two women, who obviously also couldn't believe what they are hearing right now, "I almost forgot you're the most dangerous super on Earth at one time."

"Right…" Hera breathed out in awe, "...They needed Megawoman to stop you."

"Still think you're the superior race, Princess fuck?" Hannah smirked as she looked at Vera. But after a few moments, she realized something, "Wait… if you can feel what the Earth feels and see what it sees—doesn't that mean you know where Riley and the others are?"

"I do. Your brother has a certain… energy in him that is too dark to ignore," Tsula did not look at Hannah as she answered, and instead just stared at the lake, "And I can also feel what's in the water."

"So, there is something in the water!?"

"There is…" Tsula closed her eyes as she took in a heavy breath,

"…something big."

"Stop it with the susp—"

"!!!"

And before Hannah could finish her words, they felt a small tremble in the air. The group wouldn't have been stopped with just that, however. No.

It was the sudden appearance of a red beam from far away—standing like a colossal tower before just disappearing in a flash. The beam, however, left a hole in the sky.

"What the fuck was that?" Hannah was the first to react, "How far was that!? Do you think our group has something to do with that!?"

"...I don't think we have time to be worrying about that."

"What do you—"

And before Hannah could even ask what Hera meant by that, she saw a hint of light slowly veiling the lake—it wasn't red, no. But it was blue enough to make the lake even bluer and clear than it already was.

"That's not going to explode on us…

…is it?"

***

"Announcing the Princess of Varoif, and her two associates!"

Hours later, in the capital city of Hel, also called Hel, Riley, Esme, and Zac finally arrived at the royal castle and were greeted… by no one. Not even a single member of the royal family welcomed them.

They were sent to the throne room, which did not even have a single light on. The only people there were fully-armored guards standing on the side, as well as the person that announced their arrival.

"Welcome to Hel," Zac let out a small but deep sigh, "This is why I don't like doing business in this place. The people are… quite snobbish. And I know what I'm speaking about, I'm Helborn."

"It truly baffles me that someone like Princess Aerith was born in an environment like this," Princess Esme commented as she started walking around the throne hall,

"Or perhaps it was because of this that she developed her rebellious nature."

"It shows her character, Princess Esme," Riley nodded, "Despite her being surrounded by people of bad influence, she grew up to be someone that helps people in need."

"Ho? You speak as if you know my cousin better than we do."

And all of a sudden, a presence revealed itself from behind the throne. Unlike with Varoif, the throne of the king of Hel was grand—still sized like normal, but even with the darkness, the aura it exuded was as majestic as thrones could be.

And from behind that darkness, a woman revealed herself.

"I do know more about Aerith than all of you, strange woman stepping from behind the throne," Riley, however, seemed completely unfazed as he just faced and looked at the woman,

"I am, after all, her lo-her number one fan."