Villain Retirement

"So, are you really a primordial as they say?"

"Is that your real hair? I've actually been meaning to dye my hair like that, I just wasn't sure if it would suit me. But I guess you'll suit me just fi—I mean white hair will suit me just fine."

"Your skin is so smooth, can you share me what you put on your skin?"

"I used to put on a lot of sunscreen, Hannah."

"Ah! I also use sunscreen, Dad made a special one so I wouldn't have to keep buying. I can share some with you, but…

…it's in my flat."

"No need, Hannah. I use my abilities to keep myself away from impurities and other unwanted dirt now."

"Wow… Can you also do that to me?"

"Yeuck…" And as the Hannah variants were currently circling around Riley like moths to a flame, Hannah's eyes twitched on their own with each word her variants utter,

"Come to think of it, you were also like that the first time you met him."

"I still am."

"Wh—"

Hannah and Nannah were standing on the side, their backs on the wall as the two of them continued to watch their variants try to win over Riley.

They were now in another part of the space station, a room where all the Bernards could just relax and unwind — that means there was a large bar, where Bernard, Bard, and Diana were currently having the first casual conversation they have ever had since they met.

As for Aerith, she was talking with Paige and Gracy… while playing a fighting game which she was currently losing for the 10th time. Ahor Zai replaced her whenever she lost. And of course, as an AI, Ahor Zai did not really have any chance of losing against anyone. The closest she ever came close to losing was with Chihiro.

Xra was watching behind them; she was initially just waiting for Ahor Zai to stop so she could ask her how to use the ring, but she became visibly intrigued by what they were playing due to its violent nature.

Hera was in the spa with Bulwark. As for Delivery Man and Cherbi, they were just walking around the giant space station trying to find things to do and sights to see.

And although it had lived for more than a billion years, it was like a child who was experiencing everything for the first time, and perhaps it was. As a being that knew nothing but to devour, the moments it had when it just stopped to look at its surroundings were close to none. Well… it was actually still trying to eat everything it saw. If it wasn't for Delivery pulling the things away from his mouth, the space station would have probably already lost most of its weight.

But it wasn't just Cherbi who was looking around, Delivery's eyes were also filled with a sense of curiosity; his hands and fingers, trying to touch everything as if it was the first time he was seeing such things.

"So… I heard you were also hired by sir Riley?"

"Boss did not hire me," Cherbi very subtly pulled out a vase he swallowed.

"Oh, same," Delivery chuckled as he tipped his cap, "I wasn't literally hired by him, more like offering him my services."

"But your service is already done, Delivery. The Tournament is already over."

"Well, I'm doing overtime," Delivery smiled, "I don't really go out much. I'm… a super, but I only exist when there's a delivery. Weird, right? For most, their abilities are a gift. For some, it's a curse. For me, it's everything."

"..."

"You… are not really interested in what I'm saying, are you?"

"I am not," Cherbi did not even glance at Delivery as it puked out another object from its stomach. This time, it was some sort of marble statue that the Bernard variants seem to collect.

"Mr. Riley actually knows about my condition," Delivery sighed, "That's why he always uses my services. He envies me, he says. He envies the fact that my purpose is to exist, and I exist only for my purpose. Mr. Riley, he's… a very sad individual."

"The Boss is the boss," Cherbi just shrugged as it continued to listen to Delivery; the two of them, just exploring the space station.

Suffice it to say, for everyone, this was the first time in a very long time they were actually able to relax. Although it couldn't be quite called a simple life since they were literally in a space station in a dead universe, this was probably the most normal they had ever been.

Almost like friends just hanging out — but they all knew that after this, everything would change.

Back in the general lounge, Riley was still being hounded by the Hannah variants. He did not seem to mind, however, as he answered all of their questions no matter how nonsensical they were. Hannah, on the other hand, could no longer help it as she finally rushed to Riley's rescue.

"Excuse me, excuse!" Hannah pushed her variants away, all of them exclaiming as she made her way to Riley and grabbed him, "Everyone just fucking hold on to your fucking panties, okay? Fuck! Disgusting!"

"Wait!"

Unfortunately for Hannah, she and Riley could not even take three steps before the Hannah variants followed them and blocked their path.

"Why are you snatching him away from us!? Who the fuck do you think you are!?"

"His sister," Hannah raised an eyebrow, "That means all of you are his sister too, so stop it with the obviously disgusting attempt at getting… laid. Like, fuck!"

"I… bet the two of you slept together already in secret. A girl and a boy, not related by blood in a single roof…"

"What the—who the fuck said that!?"

And while Hannah was fighting for her dignity, her parents seem to find it incredibly amusing as they laugh at her while drinking at the bar.

"I admire the two of you on how you deal with this matter," Bard, who was drinking with them, could not help but shake his head as he watched the two even clinking their glasses, "Perhaps I would be numb too if my son was the literal multiversal apocalypse."

"Your wife…" Bernard then quietly said as he glanced at Bard in the mirror behind the bar, "...was she truly that despicable?"

"She… wasn't always," Bard looked at Diana, "But when the incident happened with Hannah, she completely changed."

"The incident… the hospital?" Diana looked down.

"Yes. All those… babies," Bard closed his eyes, "Something in her just snapped. She started experimenting on Hannah, and I discovered it too late — I killed her with my own hands when I found out. Our Megawoman was… just a casualty in that war. The multiverse is… literally a kaleidoscope."

"..."

"The only reason why it still follows a pattern is because of the primordials and their avatars. As you may already be aware, they choose the same avatar in all the universes," Bard turned to look at the entertainment area where Chihiro was, "And in a way, that ensures that certain things happen exactly the same so they could be born. You may think the other Bernards to be cowards…

…but they are right. There is no winning against the primal gods who literally decides everything that happens in our world."

"...I only asked about your wife," Bernard breathed out, before a small chuckle escaped his mouth, "But wow, 10 years ago, I wouldn't have imagined even sitting here like this — talking to a version of me from another universe about the end of all creation as we know it."

"You are welcome to the Council of Ross, Bernard," Bard said as he raised his glass, "We could use someone like you, someone extremely new and different."

"I'm already in it," Bernard nodded as he clinked his glass with Bard, "Save what we can save until our time is up."

"I'll drink to that," Diana said as she gulped her drink, "Now, if you'll excuse me… I'll go save our resident Megawoman from the children."

"You go do that," Bernard laughed. And as soon as Diana was gone, Bard glanced at her before staring at Bernard, "...That's my wife."

"I know, you're very lucky she is still with you after everything that has happened," Bard sighed, "Everything that could go wrong in your life went wrong — you are what the Council calls a Lost. And yet here you are."

"Completely lost still," Bernard followed Bard's statement as the two once again clinked glasses. Before they could gulp their drinks, however…

…a portal suddenly appeared right in the middle of the lounge.

Bard's armor instantly seeped out from his skin as he flew close to the portal. Bernard's armor also completely unfolded from his belt as he followed behind Bard. As for the Hannah variants that were previously annoying Riley, they also quickly changed their tune and surrounded the portal.

"What—"

And before Hannah could ask Nannah what was going on, a silhouette leaped out of the portal; leaving a trail of blood as he violently rolled on the floor several times.

"...Rainbowking?"

"Close the portal! Close it now!"

Bard did not even wait for an explanation as he quickly closed the portal that Barney leaped out from. And as sure as he made sure that the portal was closed and that no one was attempting to open it, Bard quickly flew to Barney to help him up…

…only to find that he was grabbing a missing arm.

"What's… going on here?"

"He's there… he found me," Barney looked Bard in the eyes. The blood dripping from his face, evidently not his.

"Who? Who found you?" Bard took in a deep breath, truly wishing the answer was not what had already dawned on his mind.

"He… he destroyed my Earth just like that since he knew no one would join him," Barney's voice trembled; the tears trailing from his cheeks not enough to wash away the blood on his face,

"King has found us."