Villain Retirement

"Then shall I try it, Riley Ross? Shall I try…

…saving them from you?"

"You do not need to try, Miss Death. You are Death, you can simply just kill me."

"But killing you is changing fate, and changing fate is not my role…

…but very well."

And with those words, Death tapped the finger she had on Riley's chest again, causing a pulse so powerful that it caused even Miss Pepondosovich and the others to slightly take a step back. They felt something inside them almost move, they do not know what it is, but it felt like everything… it almost felt like their lives were moving away from them.

The black and withered grass beneath their feet, however, could not be more alive again as they turned verdant as the violent pulse moved across them.

"Riri…!?" Miss Pepondosovich then turned to look at Riley, only to see him very slowly disintegrating. His eyes were closed, however, and she had never seen him more in peace with himself. There was a smile on his face that seemed like it could never be taken away by anyone, even as his face turned into a skeleton; even as his entire existence faded away,

"Riri…" Miss Pepondosovich's breath started to turn heavy as she realized what just happened, "Did… did Riri just die? But… but our adventure wasn't done yet."

Miss Pepondosovich held Esme's arm, who was also staring at the now empty air where Riley was just previously standing. Esme wanted to do something, but she did not know what it was. And… even if she did, can she actually do something?

No, even if she can't do something - for some reason, she wanted to… she wanted to try fighting Death.

"Esme, the Undead Princess of Theran."

And as Death suddenly addressed her, all that desire seemed to have been amplified as she just wanted to punch Death right in the face for no reason at all… and Death was not even looking at her.

"You hold a very mysterious strength in your fists." And whether or not Death was feeling the killing intent from Esme was not known, but she was directly looking at her fists with a small smile slowly crawling on her face, "My siblings and I are truly curious as to what will happen next - we thought our truth is the only thing that mattered, but it would seem that is not the case at all. We are learning now that those who will replace us, will replace our truth in the end."

"What… are you even talking about?"

"Pepondosovich."

And as Miss Pepondosovich stepped forward, Randall quickly grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.

"And I suppose this is all possible because of you," Death let out a sigh as she turned her focus to Miss Pepondosovich, but once again, like with Esme, she did not look at her at all, "We tried to prevent Riley Ross from happening, and yet we only followed the path that might have already been planned for us by sending him in this Domain - by letting him meet you. I suppose I could finally say…

…luck is against us."

"Riri… you've already achieved that," Miss Pepondosovich's legs started to quake as she gritted her teeth. She was aware of all the evil things that Riley had done and all the things he will still do - he was a villain, but for some reason, it didn't feel right to just watch him fade away like that,

"Riri is gone. Why even create all of us if you're just going to butt in and not let us handle it!?"

"Create you?" Death smiled as she shook her head, "Please, do not think of me as God. I did not create you, Celestial did not create you — she created the First Beings, which in turn, led to all of you. Do not mistake us for an all-powerful being, Miss Pepondosovich."

"You're… Death."

"I am," Death nodded, "And that is all I am, that is all I will be. And I am not interrupting anything, Miss Pepondosovich. Like all of you, Riley Ross is outside of the Primordials' control…"

And as Death was saying that, she looked back, only for Riley to just reappear out of nowhere; the smile on his face, completely gone.

"...The only difference is that he holds the strings."

"You failed, Death," Riley let out a long and very deep sigh as he looked down, "I am going to let you try again…

…but this time, try it when you're angry."

"I can not be angry, Riley Ross. It is not in my—"

"Nature," Riley continued Death's words for her, "Empathy and sympathy is not in my nature, Miss Death. And yet I have felt it more and more for the beings around me, the only unfortunate thing is that it is also in my nature not to care, and that is still very much prevalent."

"You hold a very valuable perspective, Riley Ross," Death smiled at Riley, "A perspective that even Navi can not comprehend. I would have truly liked it if you came into existence at the same time as we have - then perhaps we would not be trying to stop you at all, as with everything we have done, you will be a part of the Creation we have helped build."

"I am."

Riley stretched his arm to the side, summoning a large and long weapon that should be very familiar with Death,

"I am the End of everything. The End of Death."

"A scythe," a small glitter of amusement could be seen growing in Death's eyes, "How poetic. It is the weapon of what your planet thinks Death wields, no?"

"Is it not?" An almost maniacal smile crawled onto Riley's face.

"It could be," and very slowly, the smile on Death's face also turned wide as she stretched her arm to the side and also summoned a scythe,

"After this."

And as Death uttered those words, the very space around them opened up — the ground beneath their feet, the sky that reflected that ground, and the air itself opened up into a sphere; white, with not even a single darkness to be seen. And in that white, only Riley, Death, and Miss Pepondosovich and the others existed.

There were also clouds which seemed to be made of miniature stars; cold, but warm at the same time.

"Well then, Ri—"

"Pavoom."

Riley did not even let Death finish her words as he waved the giant scythe he was holding, causing a crack in space to crawl straight toward Death. Death, however, only tilted her head as she let the force that would have disintegrated everything else pass through her body—no.

The violent wave did not even pass through her, it just completely disintegrated into nothing… the force of Riley's attack itself just… died.

"—ley Ross," Death continued her words like nothing happened as she opened her palm toward Riley. And as soon as she did so, the very force that Riley summoned became alive again… but now heading toward him.

"Oh…?" Riley tilted his head to the side as he slapped the violent crescent force away. He did not really need to, he could have just used his mind to get rid of it as he created it himself — but of course, he wanted it to be dramatic. But as he turned to look at Death, she was no longer there…

…but behind him.

Riley was about to fly away, he did… but he did so with his body completely cleaved in half as he flew directly onto the blade of Death's scythe.

"Hm…" Riley was completely unfazed even as he watched his lower body separate from the rest of him, however. And instead, he just waved his scythe straight through Death's neck.

Once again, Death did not dodge at all and just let the blade hit her in the neck, but as soon as the blade made contact… it disintegrated and died. Death just smiled, before she pushed Riley's upper body away at a speed that was invisible even through Esme and Miss Pepondosovich's eyes; the only thing they heard was thunder and the ripple forming after as Riley was thrown away into oblivion… literally, as he just disappeared.

Death then started spinning her scythe, dancing with it; her eyes, looking everywhere for Riley even though he clearly disintegrated from her strike.

"Annoying, is it not?"

Death's eyes squinted as she quickly turned around to look at Riley, who was now only a meter away from her… and she did not even feel him.

"How does it feel, Miss Death?" Riley tilted his head to the side as the maniacal smile on his face turned almost sinister, "How does it feel to know that you do not hold my existence in your hands? Are you angry now?"

"No," Death sighed, "It is quite refreshing, actually. Because, unlike Van… I can actually catch you. It does not feel like I am just chasing myself."

"Well…" Riley blinked a couple of times as he looked Death in the eyes, "…Then instead of feeling like you are chasing yourself, Miss Death…

…I will let you feel like you are fighting yourself."

"Hm?"

"Like you are fighting Death."