Villain Retirement

Chapter 1152: Gone

Chapter 1152: Gone

"What… is that?"

Aurora had no idea how things escalated so quickly. Just minutes ago, she didn't even want to fight, and now, here she was—suddenly wearing her red helmet and combat armor that Riley had pulled out of nowhere. She didn't even get a chance to refuse.

And now, Riley was once again rummaging through his so-called pockets. Aurora had always wondered how he managed to pull things out of them whenever he needed, even though his clothes seemed seamless—no slits, no openings, nothing. She always thought it was strange, but now, she finally saw it. She saw how it worked.

They don't exist.

Riley's pockets didn't exist until he wanted them to. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but before she could even think of one, her eyes slowly drifted to the object he was holding. The thing in his hands seemed to pull her in, like it had a gravity of its own.

"What is that?" Aurora asked again, this time more sharply, pointing at the object in his hands. It was obvious—it was a rifle. But it was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.

It was almost as tall as Riley, sleek but oddly shaped, with an orb glowing right where the nozzle should be. The gun didn't look like it was made for aesthetics or efficiency, like at all. It was just… strange. And that glowing orb—it was like a crystal, swirling with lights that moved and danced inside. Aurora couldn't look away from it.

"I am truly glad you asked what this is, Aurora," Riley said, standing up from his seat as he approached her. He didn't waste time, gesturing for her to take it from him. "I call this the Cosmic Compressor Gun."

"Cosmic… compressor gun?" Aurora repeated in disbelief, her voice muffled by her helmet. She hesitantly took the weapon, feeling its strange weight in her hands. "And what exactly does this cosmic compressor gun… do?"

"It is a gun, Aurora. You use it to kill things," Riley said, blinking at her as though the question confused him.

Aurora narrowed her eyes. "I mean, what exactly does it do?"

"By itself, nothing."

"I don't think you are getting—Oh. You're messing with me, aren't you?"

"Yes." Riley nodded without hesitation, pointing toward the ship's window. "Go. And please, don't damage it. Rennalyn made that. If I see a single scratch, I will kill you."

"...Then why are you giving this to me!?" Aurora's voice cracked as her helmet amplified her gasp.

"Because you were complaining that you couldn't compete with gods," Riley shrugged and gestured again for her to leave the ship. "So go."

Aurora's face twisted into frustration behind her helmet. "Can you tell me what this does first!?"

"You should learn to appreciate suspense, Aurora," Riley said with a casual shake of his head.

And before Aurora could even argue further, her feet suddenly left the floor. Riley flicked his finger, lifting her up in the air before casually tossing her out of the ship.

"Eep!" Aurora's scream filled the expanse of space, her body flipping uncontrollably. A few more helpless yelps followed until her suit's boosters kicked in, stabilizing her. She steadied herself in mid-air, taking a breath as she floated.

Fortunately for her, she was trained to stay calm at all times.

Around her, the vast and colorful Grand Triangle was alive with chaos. Monkeh was riding one of the ship-mimics, steering it into another like some sort of cosmic joust. Heli, on the other hand, was tearing mimics apart with her bare hands, ripping through their blocky forms like they were nothing. And Miss Pepondosovich? She was happily smashing them with a hammer that was easily the size of a bus, making it look as casual as swatting flies.

Aurora glanced at them all. Each of these beings defied logic. Riley, Miss Pepondosovich, Heli… What was she even doing here?

Would it even matter if she wasn't?

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing as a mimic flew straight toward her, its grotesque, tooth-filled mouth wide open. It looked ready to tear her apart. "Ack, whatever!"

Aurora pointed the Cosmic Compressor Gun at the mimic and pulled the trigger. Instantly, the world around her went dark—completely. It was as if the colors of the Grand Triangle were sucked into the gun itself, along with her breath and everything else. Even her soul felt like it was being drawn into the weapon.

But of course, everything she was feeling and seeing actually happened in the span of a millisecond—and after her mind was done processing what was happening, the aftermath of what she did now laid bare in front of her.

"What the…" Aurora's star-shaped eyes widened as she stared at… nothing. The mimic was gone. In fact, a whole chunk of the Grand Triangle was gone. A gaping hole of pure darkness sat where vibrant colors used to be. It was like she had erased a piece of the universe.

"What the!?" Aurora almost dropped the gun in shock but stopped herself, remembering Riley's words. If she damaged it… he would kill her. Whether that was a joke or not, she didn't want to find out.

Her breaths came in heavy, but slowly, a grin spread across her face as she looked at the destruction she had caused.

"This is…" Aurora's grin grew wider. "This is awesome!"

Without hesitation, she shot off into the chaos of the Grand Triangle, now hunting the mimics herself, her earlier fear all but forgotten.

"Hm," Riley, observing from the ship, nodded in satisfaction. After a moment, he floated out into the void, his eyes narrowing in the direction where the Grand Puppeteer's ship had disappeared. He raised his hand, pointing a single finger toward the distant horizon, as though he could see that far—and he probably could.

"Should I?" he muttered, a sinister smile creeping onto his face. But after a moment, he sighed and lowered his hand, deciding against it. For now, he would just watch.

Aurora and the others were having their fun.

Soon, the mimics were nothing but debris, wiped out in minutes.

***

"Maybe… maybe I overdid it."

Aurora was back inside, carefully placing the Cosmic Compressor Gun into Riley's hands, her eyes avoiding his.

"That thing…" Heli's voice was low as she stared at the gun. "That thing can destroy stars. How… intriguing. And anyone can use it?"

"Yes," Riley shrugged, holding the gun out toward her. "Want to try it?"

"Oh, no…" Heli quickly shook her head, bowing slightly. "Weapons like that shouldn't be handled by someone like me."

"Hm." Riley shrugged again, and with a simple motion, the gun shrank back down and disappeared into one of his many pockets.

"That Grand Puppeteer dude…" Miss Pepondosovich crossed her arms. "Anyone betting this won't be the last time we see him?"

"That's a sure thing," Monkeh said with a yawn, placing her hands behind her head. "By the way, the planet we're headed to next? It's my home."

"Oh?" Riley blinked. "Then we'll make our stop on the Fifth Island short. I'm curious to see where you were sealed."

Monkeh scratched her chin. "It's… complicated."

"Too complicated," Heli hummed.

"Uhh, guys?" Aurora called from the control deck, waving them over. "You might want to come see this…"

Everyone turned to face her as she pointed at the screen.

"I don't know if I'm seeing this right, but the Fifth Island Planet…"

"…It's gone."