Villain Retirement

Chapter 1182: No Escaping His Grasp

"Stop trying to save them, Your Highness—only I can physically interact with them. Rather than that, think of a plan on how to stop me with them."

They have.

The evaniels have thought of a million plans to get rid of Riley, but none of them worked. There were millions of them just moments ago, but now they were down to a thousand, with the mangled bodies of their brethren scattered in the dead expanse of space around them.

As for Queen Vania, she had been trying to rescue and reach her people, even fully knowing that she wasn't able to touch them at all—there was a gnawing in her mind that maybe, just maybe.

There was a chance that they would be able to hold them. But no.

Her children were dead again, and now her people were slowly being massacred by Riley right in front of her, and she couldn't even do anything.

She wanted to convince herself that she was only seeing an illusion, but it was too real. No, it was real.

And right now, the only thing she could really do was… beg.

"Please, Riley Ross. Stop… stop this already!" She pleaded as she reached for another evaniel, only for their hand to go through hers before Riley grabbed them by the head and shoulder, splitting them right in front of her.

And Riley did all of this with a smile on his face. And his eyes, his eyes which stared at her, relishing in her hopelessness, her pain.

How could she have ever thought of Riley Ross as anything but a monster?

She thought that Riley reminded her of Van—a being who transcended everything, and someone who would one day also create offspring that would become a race that would allow the universe to flourish and advance.

After all, based on the stories about Van, he also started as a man whose path was paved with blood and violence. But in the end, everything worked well.

But no.

The only thing in Riley's path was destruction. There was nothing else.

No warmth, no peace, no life.

It was a dreary, sad, and lonely world. A world where only he would remain—that was his singular goal.

"Stop it… Riley Ross," Queen Vania's hand finally lowered. The light in her hair fading away, her fingers that were reaching out for her people, now completely still beside her, "I… surrender. Please, just stop."

And as soon as Riley saw Queen Vania completely still, his hands that were about to split open another evaniel right in front of her stopped. The evaniel he was holding on to breathed out a sigh of relief—unfortunately for her, that was the last thing he did as Riley snapped his fingers.

And when he did so, the evaniel, and every other evaniels, exploded into a mist of blood.

Queen Vania gasped as she saw this, but she only closed her eyes and nodded—this was for the best. At least, they wouldn't have to suffer anymore, not again.

"Just kill me," Queen Vania hovered in front of Riley, her head down, humiliated. Any presence of a queen, no longer there. What she was was trash, to be thrown away and forever discarded with no one to mourn her.

As for Riley, well, he only stared at her before patting both her shoulders.

"I have already told you, Your Highness," he let out a small sigh while shaking his head, "I will not kill you—that would never happen. What I am doing now is merely doing what I should have done years ago. Before all this multiverse nonsense, and the gods. I am merely correcting a path that should have long been traveled."

"And now fulfill it by killing me," Queen Vania forced a smile as she gestured to herself, "This path would only end by killing me, Riley Ross."

"That would be true, in any other case," Riley let out a small but very deep sigh as he once again shook his head, "But what I am doing now is also merely… useless. Your people have already died—and if they died by my hands after I revived them, then all of this would just be… useless."

"Then why did you do it!?"

"Because I can, Your Highness," Riley shrugged as he finally let go of Queen Vania, hovering backward with his arms stretched out, "And because I want to."

And then, a smile once again crept on his face.

Queen Vania narrowed her eyes at him for a few moments before they turned even wider than before as she realized what he was about to do.

"No…" But this time, the only thing the queen of evaniels could do was shake her head, "...Do not do it. I implore you, Riley Ross… do not do it."

"Again, Your Highness," Riley sighed, "I do it because I can and I want to."

Riley snapped his fingers, and when he did so, millions of evaniels once again appeared right behind him.

They all looked confused, touching their bodies and looking at their limbs. They looked at each other, not knowing what was happening.

"It is fun, is it not?" A small chuckle escaped Riley's lips as he placed his arms over the shoulders of Queen Vania's children, who were once again in front of her, both beside Riley, "If I recall, you still have another child—it is just a shame that I do not know who it is amongst these evaniels. Should I try to find them, Your Highness?"

"You—"

"Well, maybe not."

And before Queen Vania could even finish her words, she quickly rushed toward Riley—no. To her children, to pull them away from him, even fully knowing that she couldn't.

But, this time, to her shock… she did.

She was able to pull them away from Riley. The only problem was… that Riley was holding on to their shoulders when she did so.

And it was too late for her to stop.

And so, she also watched as their limbs and torsos were torn off. Because of her.

Because she pulled them out of Riley's grasp.

Their heads slowly separated from the rest of their already mangled body, and she could see it, the fear in their eyes when it happened.

And when she had finally stopped moving, all that was left were their parts hovering in the expanse of space.

"What…" Queen Vania felt their warmth trickling across her fingertips. She then turned to look at Riley, whose smile had already reached from ear to ear, "Why?"

"As I said," Riley just once again sighed, "Because I—"

"Father?"

And before Riley could finish his words, the smile on his face froze. How could it not, when his daughter was now there, suddenly hovering behind Queen Vania?

No. It wasn't only Renna. Lucy, Hannah… all of his family were there, looking at him.