Villain Retirement

Chapter 1141: Kneel

Chapter 1141: Kneel

"Please, Monkeh–all of this is for you."

"For… me, huh?"

The grand hall buzzed with life as servants carried trays laden with rich meats, golden pastries, and vibrant fruits. A deep red carpet stretched from the towering doors to a gleaming, ornate table that seemed to go on forever… and the red carpet, suspiciously, looked very similar to Monkeh's staff.

There were a lot of guests, every one of them adorned in all sorts of jewelry; their backs leaning in velvet chairs.

"This… place isn't as I remembered it. It–"

"Everyone, Monkeh the Warrior God!"

And with Heli just roaring her name across the vast hall, all the guests who were previously mingling with each other all looked at her at the same time; their eyes, although friendly… held something deeper. They were all smiling, but there seemed to be something wrong with them.

Like all of them are fake. They were quiet, extremely quiet.

"Cheer!" Heli then raised her voice. And as she did so, everyone dropped their glasses of wine and started cheering and greeting Monkeh; some even shouted her name even though they did not know who she was.

"Now, come with me."

"..." Monkeh looked to where Heli was walking to, only to see, two majestic thrones sat vacant at the far end of the lavish hall, "..Why are there two? Did Odun get married?"

"Don't be silly, my dear…" Heli traced her fingers on her lips, "...the thrones are for us."

"No thanks," Monkeh immediately shook her head, "I'll sit with my friends. Riley, let's—"

And as Monkeh turned around, she found that Riley and the others were no longer there. Her fangs were about to bare themselves, but before her lips could actually twitch, she saw Riley and the others already sitting at a table—with Miss Pepondosovich already returning to it with plates of food in her hands.

"Right…" Monkeh did not even wait for Heli to respond or do anything as she quickly escaped her clutches and joined the others.

"It would seem your ex-girlfriend is still very much in love with you, Monkeh." And surprisingly, Riley was the first to say something; his eyes, however, did not stray away from the steak he was slicing, "I do believe I might be able to offer you some advice with that since Victoria is still very much in love with me too."

"What the…" V, who was enjoying her salad, almost coughed all the vegetables in her mouth as she heard Riley's words, "...I'm not in love with you, Riley."

"But you said you joined this journey to get rid of your feelings for me, Victoria," Riley tilted his head to the side, slightly confused.

"Yes! But not love!" V rolled her eyes and groaned in frustration, "Can someone help me out here, please?"

"Don't look at me," Miss Pepondosovich just continued to chew on all the carrot dishes she could find, "I've never been able to stop Riley from procreating."

"No one's doing any procreating! What the fuck…?" V just once again groaned; shaking her head before just focusing on her meal—truly, the best way to deal with Riley was just not to react or say anything.

"W—"

And before anyone else could say something, the colorful and grand lights of the banquet suddenly dimmed.

"Everyone!" And soon, Heli's voice started to echo throughout the hall again, "I have promised all of you freedom—and here is your chance!"

A spot of light then suddenly showered over Riley and the others' table, or more specifically, just over Riley.

"My lover, you see, have brought home an adulterer!" Heli's tired voice seemed like it was on the verge of crying, "And since I am, after all, the Mother of Death—I require sacrifice…

…Offer me the ghost's head, and I will set all of you free from this endless banquet. Although, I don't really know why you want to leave this parad—"

"!!!"

And before Heli could finish her words, Aurora, who was trying not to be noticed, could not help but widen her eyes as hundreds of people just started rushing toward their table—their eyes, all frenzied, like zombies.

"Heli!" Monkeh stood up from her seat as she was about to block all of the frenzied people, but then found that she did not need to do so at all, as the people could not approach their table—blocked by an invisible wall, courtesy by Riley.

"Your daughter will be very disappointed in you, Heli," Riley then let out a small sigh as he also stood up; gracefully wiping his lips with the napkin before moving away from the table, "Death does not seek death, she treasures it—you do not seem to share the same quality."

"I have had enough of your insolence!" Heli, who was seated on the throne, looked even more exhausted than before; her expression, almost even crazier than the rushing zombie-like mob.

"I suppose it is truly time to call your daughter," Riley then let out a small sigh as he stepped out of his telekinetic barrier—and without even any warning, he grabbed one of the frenzied people by the face… and just crushed the man's face as if it were made of clay. Blood and bone shattered under his grip, the frenzied man's scream was cut short as his body convulsed. The room fell into a stunned silence, save for the gurgling sound of the man's breath as Riley released him, letting the broken body drop to the floor. But before anyone could fully process the horror, Riley calmly knelt beside the mangled figure. His hand, now slick with blood, hovered over the man's shattered features. A faint glow emanated from Riley's palm, and within seconds, the man's face began to reform. The bone knit itself back together, flesh regrew, and within moments, the man's face was whole again, as though nothing had happened. The frenzied man gasped, drawing in sharp, desperate breaths. "N…no…no!" His eyes, wide with terror, fixed on Riley as though silently begging for mercy. "No?" Riley asked, his voice as flat and emotionless as ever. The man didn't have time to respond. Without a flicker of hesitation, Riley's hand shot out once more, grabbing the man by the same spot on his face. With the same casual indifference, he crushed it again, the sound of bones breaking like the crack of dry wood in the hall. And again, with a wave of his hand, Riley healed the man's mutilated face. The onlookers, who were once frenzied, were now completely frozen as they watched in silent horror as Riley repeated the cycle, over and over again. Crush. Heal. Crush. Heal. The man writhed and convulsed like a worm—and very soon, the man did not move at all.

He was still alive, but his mind had already moved on. And since he has…

…then Riley should move on too.

"Eh!?" This time, it was a woman.

"And what do you hope to achieve by doing all of this?" Heli, who was watching from her throne, scoffed, "What you did is just child's play—you truly are a child. Now where, pray tell, where is Death?"

"Riley."

"!!!" And then, all of a sudden, a presence fell upon the hall; causing even Heli to leap away from her throne to kneel—the weight and the air, now extremely heavy… it was almost as if they were breathing sand.

It wasn't only her—Monkeh and V were completely frozen too. After all, beings such as them just knew what sort of presence was now with them in the hall.

"What are you doing, Riley?" The Presence, however, just casually walked toward Riley; her long red hair fluttering along with her long black gown.

"I wanted to get your attention, Death."

"!!!" Heli's breath locked as she heard those words. She wanted to look, but it would seem something was preventing her from doing so.

"If you wanted to get my attention, you should have just called," Death let out a short but deep sigh as she looked around, "I also put my number there, remember?"

"The phone does not have a signal in this place, Death," Riley also sighed while shaking his head, "This was the only way I could think of since I remember you coming to me when I did it last time in the Domain of the Gods."

"No… signal?" Death once again looked around; this time, her extremely black eyes seemed like it pierced through the halls of the lavish hall, "...Where is this place?"

"Interesting," Riley quickly placed his hand on his chin, "Even you do not know where this is, Death? Then it might be possible that Heli is telling the truth?"

"Heli…?" Death tilted her head to the side, "Wait—why did you even try to call me, Riley?"

"Because your mother is here, Death."

"...Mother?" Death blinked a couple of times before looking to where Riley was pointing, "You mean that woman over there?"

"Yes," Riley then started floating toward Heli, who was still kneeling on the floor.

"...I do not even know her, Riley."

"Eh?" Riley blinked a couple of times in confusion, "Then does that mean…

…you lied to me, Heli?"

"W... wait..."