Villain Retirement

"If it is true… then I will find a way to bring the older generation with us."

Aerith opened her eyes as she said those words; gauging the people's opinions and thoughts. But she did not need to guess what they were thinking, however, as most of them just started shaking their heads.

"Like us, Your Highness, they have also made their choice."

"Yes! And there is no way that Theran is dying!"

"We want to experience the stars like you did, Your Highness! Take us home!"

"..." Aerith looked into the eyes of her people one by one. She could still see some of them hesitating, but none of them seemed to want to leave and return, "Very well. While mother is distracted, we should take this chance to go!"

"To New Theran!"

"How can I help?" And as soon as Aerith's voice finished echoing through the hearts of the people, Bernard approached her and Hera.

"Jes—you look like shit, Bernard," Hera could not help but widen her eyes as she saw Bernard's unkempt beard, partner that with his chest hair and his bulging muscles mixed with a perfect amount of fat… he looked like a bear.

"A human Guardian…" As for Aerith, the only thing that escaped her mouth was a curious breath as she looked at Bernard from head to toe.

"Wondering what would happen if someone infected with the supervirus swallows a Guardian Force?" Bernard quickly understood Aerith's curiosity, "Sorry, Megawoman—I'm all you got for now."

Aerith, however, only sighed and shook her head, "You should be resting, Whiteking."

"T—"

"Bernard Ross."

And before Bernard could even say anything, Elder Olseyir once again popped up out of nowhere and made her way toward them, "I agree with the Princess, no matter how exemplary you think you are—all new Guardians would need to rest so as to not stress their body with its newfound power."

"...Do I know you?" Bernard scratched his beard; squinting his eyes as he heard Elder Olseyir's voice.

"No. But I know all about you, Bernard Ross," Elder Olseyir flapped her pink robes and curtsied, "Your expertise with technology, and your existence alone is enough to put your species in the Common Council."

"...Right," Bernard raised his hand in the air, and as he did so, several white armors started flying toward him… carrying Hannah and the others inside them.

"Fuck!"

And as soon as the armors landed on the ground, they quickly crawled back to Bernard, wrapping his entire silhouette almost instantly.

"That… was so cool!" Paige could not help but almost cheer as she ran to Bernard. As for Tomoe, she… looked paler than she usually is.

"Aren't you… Riley's other girlfriend?" Bernard could not help but blink a couple of times as he finally recognized Paige, "You came with him to another planet? That's some dedication… I approve."

"Well, I have nowhere else to be," Paige only smiled and shook her head; her orange and slightly curly hair, bouncing with her, "I know it's been a while since the two of us have been together or even talked to each other, but wherever Riley is… that is my home. Whether it is back on Earth or a billion light years away… my connection with him goes beyond the physical."

"..." Bernard blinked a couple of times, not expecting such an answer from his question that was meant to be rhetorical.

"Oh, oh… I failed to read the room again, didn't I?" Paige giggled as Diana and Queen Adel continued to fight in the background.

"Not at all," Bernard, however, suddenly just laughed, "You see this, Hannah? Why can't you find someone like this?"

"Because I am not a psychopathic murderer that attracts all sorts of weird people around him, dad," Hannah sighed as she looked at both Tomoe and Paige, "No offense to both of you."

"None taken," Paige just shrugged. She then turned to look at Aerith, before suddenly stretching her arms to the side—and as she did so, a flash of light traveled and rippled through the entire crowd… making them all disappear from the outside world.

"The people outside can't see us now," Paige then said as she nodded.

"Are you sure you can handle an illusion this wide?" Aerith looked around her. And although she could still clearly hear all of them; it will be hard to notice with all the chaos going around, "This is just the first batch, there will be hundreds more."

"Oh, it's fine," Paige only let out a chuckling scoff as she rolled her lips, "I feel like I can even make Theran disappear. W…well, not really. Please don't make me do that."

"Wait, are we sure we can just leave mom to deal with that psych—I mean your mother?" Hannah approached Aerith before anyone's feet started leaving the ground.

"You have no idea how strong your mother is, do you?" Aerith breathed out as she started floating up.

"...Is she stronger than you?"

"...Debatable" Aerith slightly hesitated. She then raised her fist as she flew up higher in the air, "For those who still want to experience a new world, follow me!"

And with a skirt of wind forming around her; several cracks in the air could be heard whipping like a marching band—the crowd could no longer be seen by the naked eye, but their resolution was obvious by the rhythm drumming in the air.

And even as the sound of their abandonment reached Queen Adel's ears, her eyes were still completely focused on the woman in front of her. She swung her legs; the shockwave that followed, keeping the tear in the sky open.

"Why are you not fighting back?" Queen Adel opened her mouth as Diana kept avoiding and blocking her attacks,

"Are you so used to being on a fragile planet? Don't you see, Caitlain'Ur? Just the shockwave from each of our attacks would have already decimated an entire planet…

…we don't belong anywhere else but here."

"Well…" Diana caught Queen Adel's foot, before pushing her away as she retreated back, "...I could say you don't belong right here and now."

"...What?"

"This planet is dying, Your Highness," Diana let out a sigh as she started massaging her swollen arms, "Now that our audience is gone, maybe it's time to stop playing around—we're too old for that, Adel."

"Theran is not dying," Queen Adel's lips began to quiver, "This planet will outlive everything else in this Universe."

"It has been dying for tens of thousands of years."

"Blasphemy!" Queen Adel gritted her teeth as she once again rushed toward Diana, "Our Theran is the strongest thing in the Universe! It will not—"

"King Arthus knows."

And before Queen Adel's leg could hit Diana's unguarded head—she stopped; the violent air she produced, once again clearing everything around them.

"King Arthus knows," Diana closed her eyes as she sighed, "So did the previous king, and so does the King of Varoif."

"...What?"

"The Overlord of the Grand Militia also knows, I told him when he replaced me as the next Overlord."

"Theran is strong," Queen Adel's foot was still next to Diana's head, "I will not tolerate you anymore for tarnishing its name."

"Theran is strong, I agree," Diana sighed, "Too strong…

...It will snap from its own weight."