Villain Retirement

Chapter 1178: Chapter 1178: And We’re Back To Where it All Began

The world of Camrose became completely silent for a moment.

Every one of them watched as the Her,o whom they had been seeing everywhere, helping people and improving all of their lives, got stabbed in the back.

It felt like time stopped for everyone, everyone except for Riley.

He still had his hands raised in surrender, but he once again glanced back at Louis, whose face was painted with a shock that was almost indescribable.

Perhaps more so than everyone, time stopped for him much evidently.

Literally.

He couldn’t move. His body was locked, and the horror on his face wasn’t from seeing Riley pierced by a normal sword—it was from realizing that he was the one holding it.

Because this wasn’t his doing.

Moments ago, Louis had been miles away from this place. Then, in a blink, he was soaring through the air at impossible speed—Mach 1000. Before he could even scream, he was behind Riley... sword in hand, plunging it into his back.

He hadn’t chosen this.

Riley had.

Once again, Louis had been turned into a puppet—his will overridden, his body hijacked by Riley Ross.

Even now, as his hand pulled the sword free from Riley’s flesh, it wasn’t truly him doing it. Riley was in control.

He wanted to scream. To fight. But all he could do was watch as his own arm raised the sword high into the air.

And the moment the blade pointed toward the sky, a thunderous roar split the silence—shaking the air itself.

"People of Fate!" the Pope bellowed. "Seize the False Hero!"

With that command, the army surged forward. Their charge shook the ground, a tidal wave of fury rushing toward Riley.

They swarmed him—soldiers striking with fists, boots, and blades. Others hoisted Louis’s free arm into the air, cheering for him as if he were a savior.

And all across Camrose, those watching through the Pope’s enchanted vision screamed in celebration. Their voices rose like a storm, demanding Riley’s death.

But of course... that wasn’t going to happen.

Even as a thousand feet crashed down on him, Riley remained unharmed.

And Louis, freed from Riley’s grip, could only stare in horror. His body trembled as he looked down at the man buried beneath the mob.

Riley stared back up at him.

Smiling before fully vanishing beneath the stomping crowd.

***

An entire week had passed, and Riley was now chained inside a cell—completely naked, drenched with filth, grime, dirt, and all sorts of other things the soldiers of Fate threw at him.

The bishop was also there with him, also plastered on the wall, completely covered in flies and maggots.

Despite all the dirt wrapped around him, however, he was still standing completely tall.

His chains didn’t rattle. He hadn’t eaten, hadn’t drunk a drop of water. But his lips weren’t dry, and his breath never faltered.

Even beneath layers of dirt, his pale silhouette still shimmered faintly in the beams of sunlight that barely reached the dungeon floor.

And rats, well—the rats completely avoided him in fear. The dungeon hadn’t actually been this clean before.

Riley had remained silent without saying anything to anyone. He was just there, waiting for the day of his execution, which was today.

The sound of several footsteps soon echoed through the dungeon, and there, leading the Pope and soldiers of the Church of Fate, was Louis.

Louis stared at Riley for a moment before closing his eyes and asking,

"What are you doing here, man? Why are you like that?"

The Pope narrowed his old eyes at Louis, but sighed and shook his head before placing his hand on Louis’s shoulder.

"It is futile, Hero," the Pope whispered, "We have done everything to make him talk. He—"

"Can you fly, Gary?"

And before the Pope could finish his words, Riley finally opened his mouth. His voice that everyone was expecting to be hoarse, was even clearer than theirs.

"Are you able to survive in the expanse of space?" He continued, only looking at Louis and no one else, "I am about to kill everyone on this planet before destroying it—it would be best for you not to be here."

"What nonsense are you speaking of? Who is this Gary?! You—"

Before the Pope could finish his words again, Louis raised his hand and stood closer to the cell, his hands grabbing onto the bars.

"Why?" He whispered, "Can you... reconsider? I have only lived a few years in this world, Riley. You at least owe me something for what you did to me in my last life."

The Pope became confused, but he let the two talk.

"That is why I am asking you to leave the planet," Riley said with a smile on his face, "I need to destroy this universe, this dimension—because if not, then I would want to destroy my own. The urge, Gary...it has been growing stronger. I have tried to keep it in, deny it. But it is here, and I am excited to let it out."

"Man, fuck..." Louis closed his eyes and turned around, "...That’s fucked up, man."

And with those words, Louis just shook his head and left, confusing the Pope and everyone else in the dungeon.

The Pope remained silent for a moment as he stared into Riley’s eyes, but when he saw the smile on his face—

"Drag the Anti-Fate out!" The Pope commanded,

"It is time for him to meet his fate."

***

"Off with his head! Off with it!"

"He killed my daughter! She was just working there and serving him tea! What did she do to deserve that!?"

"You dare kill my brother!? Free him! Free him and let me fight him!"

"Do we know if he has family!? Kill them! Kill 3 of his generations!"

The screams of the people were enough to cause the very air itself to tremble, no. The very world itself trembles. And this scream that was enough to deafen the entire planet was all for one person.

One single person, who was now being escorted across a wide street—a wide street that was narrowing by the second as the crowd became wilder and wilder. None of them, however, actually dared to cross the invisible line that would allow them to reach for the man.

Why would they? They were all afraid of Riley Ross. Even the soldiers and escorts dragging him were afraid of him. Even when his head was covered by a sack, they all didn’t dare to actually do anything to him.

Even with his limbs wrapped in chains, no one dared.

And very soon, Riley reached his destination—the executioner’s block.

"M...Move!" One of the soldiers swung a staff at his back, but Riley did not flinch at all. Instead, even with his head covered, Riley walked up the platform himself and even kneeled in front of the block.

The white robes he was now wearing, now drenched by the blood of the person that was beheaded before him.

The escorts and soldiers all looked at each other, silently having a battle over who would remove the sack from Riley’s head. Fortunately for them, the executioner seemed not to carry their fear as he removed the veil separating their prisoner from the rest of them.

And as soon as the crowd saw his face, all of their whispers and screams died down; replaced by a gasp that seemed to be even louder than all of their qualms.

How could they not, when Riley was smiling at them? Smiling at them wide enough that even the people from the back could see it; his white, almost blinding face, causing them to narrow their eyes.

The executioner then pushed Riley’s head down, but Riley just turned his head at the executioner, staring the executioner at the only part of his face that was exposed from the black mask he was wearing, his eyes.

"You dare look me in the eyes, Anti-Fate!?" The executioner punched Riley right on the cheek, only for him to almost hide his fist away as he felt a small crack snap through it. As for Riley, well, the smile on his face did not fade away at all as he very slowly leaned his head on the executioner’s block.

"You..." The executioner stammered, but quickly grabbed his large cleaver and stood beside Riley, "...Any last words, criminal!?"

"Yes," Riley whispered, "I am not supposed to be a criminal...I am a hero."

"You dare utter such words after what you’ve done!?"

"Kill him already!"

"We’ll fuck your corpse!"

"Die! Die!"

Just a week ago, these people all knelt down for him, worshipping him for improving their lives. And now, they clamored and roared for his death.

And with the crowd once again craving for his death, the executioner finally swung his giant cleaver down Riley’s neck—but then, all of a sudden, everything just stopped... and the only thing that could be heard was Riley’s breath as he opened his mouth; his eyes, nose, and ears bleeding.

He was bleeding not because he had done something he was not supposed to, not because he was being punished by the system that controlled Camrose, no.

He was bleeding because he had stopped time itself. Because he heard a footstep.

A footstep that was still, without logic, whispering into his ear.

"Oh, you...?" Riley smiled as he heard the footsteps coming closer and closer to him, "Well...

...I suppose you might be wondering why I am here. Would you like to know?"

"Sure, we have all the time in the world."

The woman stood right in front of Riley, her long, glowing green hair floating in the air.

It was Vania, the Queen of the Evaniels.