Villain Retirement

"Gracy Gray…?"

That was a name that was completely foreign and unfamiliar to the examiner, and yet their matriarch seem to respond to it; her eyes not even batting as she stomped her way toward the white-haired examinee.

"You!" Gracy pointed at the examiner, "Kick out the rest of these children and go!"

"G…Great Matriarch?" The examiner did not really know what to do as he very slowly and carefully approached Gracy; his eyes, glancing at the clearly disappointed examinees, "It… Who is that? Why is he calling you Gracy Gray?"

"Do you think that is any of your concern!?" Gracy's voice thundered in the air as her eyes started to light up. And as soon as red filled her eyes, the examiner and the examinees all could not help but let out loud gasps as they took a step back, "That name is just one of many I have used throughout my thousands of years of existence!"

"It's… it's the Heaven Dragon's eye!" The examinees exclaimed as they tried their best to look away from Gracy, but couldn't help themselves all the same as they took small glances at her eyes.

"They said you'll die once the Heaven Dragon's eyes glance at you even once!"

"Will… will we die!?"

And as the examinees began to panic, the examiner had no choice but to send all of them one by one; forcing them out of their courtyard by using another talisman.

"Hm…" Riley was truly intrigued by this. He could not see even a trace of technology whenever they were using the talisman — unlike with the common universe, his universe, no matter how sophisticated and close to magic a device was, there would still be traces of it actually spawning as a machine.

But here, in this world, it was almost akin to pure magic. There was also the fact that the people had mysterious abilities, and they weren't supers at all.

"Great Matriarch…" The examiner addressed Gracy with respect, not even looking at her face and showing his palm, "...Who is he?"

"It is none of your concern," Gracy just waved her hand, "Leave."

"Please, Great Matriarch. I need to know, all your subjects need to know!" The examiner did not back down, however, as he pleaded to Gracy, "The others would be asking me questions, I wish to have something to tell them."

"Then tell them that I am with a friend," Gracy's voice was deep; almost rumbling as she looked the examiner in the eyes, "A friend I have met in a completely different plane of existence. And tell them that if they see him, do not offend him at all costs."

"A different plane of existence…?" The examiner looked at Riley from head to toe, "Could it be… is he a celestial!?"

"What the fuck is—Yes," Gracy held her head up high before her voice could crack, "Yes, he is a celestial."

"Is he here to help us!?" All of the examiner's pores opened up as he once again looked at Riley. This time, however, he quickly lowered his head and prostrated himself on the ground, "F…Forgive me, Lord! I did not know I was in the presence of a celestial! Of course, of course! I should have known with how beautiful and immaculate you look, Lord!"

"T—"

"It is fine, Mortal."

Gracy was going to reprimand the examiner as he still had not left, but Riley suddenly began approaching him; his feet, not touching the ground as he very slowly floated toward the examiner,

"You may stand up."

"L… Lord," the examiner wanted to cry, "Will… will you save us from the doom that is looming through our skies?"

"No."

"..."

"..."

"All of you will die in 3 days," Riley then nonchalantly said as he gestured to the examiner to leave, "Tell the others that billions of asteroids the size of entire countries are on their way to this planet."

"W—"

"Riley!?" And as Gracy heard Riley's words, she quickly grabbed the examiner and covered his ears. She then forcefully grabbed the talisman from his hand, before slamming it on his back and causing him to be teleported away,

"Why are you telling them that!?"

"They might as well know, Gracy," Riley shrugged as he started looking around the now empty courtyard, only to notice that there wasn't actually anything beyond the walls that surrounded the vast space, "What is this place? We do not seem to be on Earth."

"That—it doesn't matter. Is this world really ending in 3 days!?" Gracy's voice became high-pitched as she stood in front of Riley, "What do you mean by billions of asteroids!?"

"I meant what I meant, Gracy," Riley just nodded, "King sent all of us to universes that are completely different from our own — universes that are either dying or was not even given a chance to flourish. In this universe's case, it is currently being slowly swallowed by asteroids."

"Asteroids… how could something like that even destroy the universe!?" Gracy forced out a scoff before laughing, "Theran wouldn't even get a dent!"

"Perhaps the asteroids are Theran," Riley shrugged, "I do not really know how a universe works yet — perhaps after another eternity where I am actually conscious, I could finally learn it all."

"What the fuck are you even spouting!?" Gracy grabbed Riley by the shoulders, "And since you're here… then did you come here to save this Earth!?"

"No, I came here to get you, Gracy."

"...Why?" Gracy batted her eyes a couple of times, before her cheeks quickly became red, "D… don't tell me you have fallen in love with me!?"

"No," Riley immediately shook his head, "I am trying to find Sister, you just happen to be here."

"...Then why not just leave?"

"Because this place is somewhat interesting," Riley shrugged, "I initially wished to learn how the people of this world are able to exert their energy, but after seeing how weak they are — there is no use anymore."

"...That's where you are wrong, Riley Ross," a small smile started to crawl on Gracy's face as she started backing away from Riley, "You think them weak, because they are weak. But what do you think will happen if someone like us—a super, walks the path of cultivation?"

"I do not know, Gracy."

"They become stronger…" Gracy's eyes turned red once more. This time, however, some sort of white aura started to veil her entire body; trickles of electricity, causing the very air around her to distort as she let out rhythmic breaths,

"...Much stronger."

And without even any warning, Gracy suddenly rushed toward Riley; the aura veiling around her, suddenly literally crawling to her arm and concentrating around her fist, literally turning into a white translucent dragon.

"..." Riley tilted his head as he watched this white dragon's jaws opening as wide as it could; completely covering his entire body as its sharp teeth threatened to shred him into billions of pieces.

"You do not have the leisure of taking this easy, Riley Ross!" Gracy screamed as Riley was swallowed by the dragon, "I am no longer the weak person you once knew, I am the Grand Matriarch of the—"

"You are right, Miss Gracy."

"!!!" And before Gracy could utter the long name of her sect, Riley just suddenly grabbed her fist; causing a violent wave of shock to ripple from their hands, completely destroying the head of the white dragon.

"Your strength has improved exponentially."

"Eep!" Gracy could not help but let out a small yelp as Riley suddenly pulled and raised her fist, causing her to almost tumble forward and fall onto Riley's chest. Gracy immediately closed her eyes as her lips were now only an inch away from touching Riley's lips… but they never made contact.

"..." Gracy opened her eyes, only to see Riley curiously looking at her hand.

"That weird energy, where is it coming from?"

"..." Gracy could feel Riley's warm breaths causing the tiny follicles of hair on her arm to shiver.

"Does it just come out of your body, Miss Gracy?" Riley started sniffing her arm, "The attack you did just now, it was almost as strong as Aerith's before she decided to rest. You were not that strong the last time we met."

"I… I told you!" Gracy pulled her arm away from Riley, "I learned how to cultivate from this world! And what do you mean I am only as strong as Aerith before she took a rest!?"

"You were not that strong, Miss Gracy."

"W—Yes, I was!" Gracy raised an eyebrow, "How strong was the Aerith of your world before resting anyway!?"

"The strongest on Earth," Riley shrugged.

"Oh…Oh," Gracy let out a small hum as she started nodding. Soon, however, her eyes once again turned red; as this time, the dragon was encapsulating and slithering across her entire body, "Not bad, not bad at all…

…but you haven't seen anything yet."

***

"O… okay, now you've seen everything."

It took a full minute for Gracy to let out all the techniques and abilities she had learned in this world, but Riley did not even move from his spot for even a single second… and she was already lying dead tired on the top of the marbled stage; her breaths, almost gasps,

"Why… how are you even this strong…?"

"Because I am Riley Ross, Miss Gracy," Riley shrugged as he crouched beside Gracy, "But do not sell yourself short, Miss Gracy. You truly have become stronger."

Riley then turned to look at the courtyard, only to see it completely destroyed — the stage they were on right now, just floating on some sort of… bubble that reflected everything.

"If… if you save this Earth," Gracy tried to sit up,

"...I will teach you cultivation."

"Hm…

…Okay."