Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain

"He's right in front of me!" the sniper replied as he unleashed suppressive fire with his assault rifle. Ricardo was still coming, bulldozing his way through explosions, traps, and everything else the sniper had laid down.

It had been more than fifteen minutes since this deadly cat-and-mouse game began, and now the sniper had nothing left. No more explosives. No more traps. Just a rapidly closing distance between himself and an unstoppable monster.

Ricardo, fully armored in his carapace, was charging forward like a living bulldozer, completely unfazed by the bullets that now felt like nothing more than pea shooters against him.

Whooozh—Boom!!

The sudden sound of a missile whistling through the air cut in, and Ricardo instinctively turned toward the source—but it was too late. The missile struck the ground near him, sending a massive explosion that blasted him away from the sniper, who had gone prone to avoid the shrapnel.

Heat and metal fragments tore through Ricardo's carapace. Blood splattered across the debris-filled factory as the force of the explosion hurled him down to the first floor.

"Cavalry arrived, Ranger 1. We'll take care of that monster for you," a voice crackled through the sniper's earpiece.

"Have you secured the VIP yet?" the sniper asked. The VIP in question was none other than Manifesto.

"Already done… the VIP is secured," the voice replied with confidence.

Boom! Boom!

The sound of monstrous banging echoed from the first floor, where tons of concrete and steel debris had piled up, effectively trapping Ricardo beneath it.

From inside, Ricardo was slamming against the debris, trying to force his way out, each bang reverberating like a beast trying to break free from its cage.

"This is Ranger-1. The target has an EF that increases his resistance to trauma and injuries after regeneration. With our currently authorized arsenal, we can't kill him," the sniper reported over comms. "I suggest trapping him until we receive clearance for weaponry capable of eliminating him or until we develop an effective method to restrain him."

"Copy that. We'll forward your suggestion to High Command," came a voice through the comms—calm, disciplined, and clearly from a different channel than the previous one.

The sniper waited for a moment before the voice returned.

"High Command has issued new orders. You and your team are to secure the area and use any means and resources available in Arkadia to contain this specimen. Additional reinforcements will be dispatched shortly to assist in transporting it to Central."

"Roger that. Securing the area and containing the specimen until support arrives," the sniper confirmed, then looked up and nodded toward the helicopter hovering above.

The area was now swarming with military forces dispatched from Central. They moved quickly to secure the perimeter and deployed forcefields to reinforce and stabilize the debris, ensuring Ricardo remained trapped beneath the rubble.

Unknown to them, a black-armored man was watching everything from the shadows.

— Night —

The presence of the Central Military had become more prominent as night fell—when all honest citizens were fast asleep. Ever since the Central forces entered the city from a nearby outpost, they acted as though Arkadia were their personal backyard.

They came without consulting Theodore, the current Fort Commander of the Arkadia City-State.

Yes, technically, all of them served under the UEC. But the heart of the issue was this: the Central Military had entered Arkadia without the approval of its local authorities.

Sure, it may seem like a mere formality—or even pretentious in some cases, but it's a formality that must be observed. Ignoring it risks creating unnecessary friction or misunderstandings, especially with Arkadia's intelligence agency and internal security forces.

After all, having outsiders enter and arrest local individuals without permission was not a good look. If a reporter caught wind of it and questioned the Arkadian leadership during an interview, the optics would be terrible.

Despite being under the UEC umbrella, Arkadia remained a sovereign city-state with its own laws and governance. It was not just another administrative district under UEC rule.

Thus… this brings us to the current situation: none of the military personnel present are from Arkadia City.

This is due to the audacity of the commander leading the operation, and also to preserve the secrecy of the mission, which is being carried out under the strict orders of Gideon Voss, the UEC Chief Secretary.

After all, obtaining a rare EF like a regeneration-type ability that increases resistance to trauma after healing, isn't an opportunity that comes along every day.

The military personnel were each busy with their respective duties. Some oversaw the operation. Others guided a large, specialized transport truck into the abandoned factory. Still others were setting up strange machines and equipment designed to stabilize the containment barrier imprisoning Ricardo.

Among the group, Manifesto, who had partially recovered, was now standing. His broken leg had received special treatment using the best technology the UEC had to offer: a regeneration chamber.

Unfortunately, this couldn't repair the bionic parts already integrated into his body. Those components were installed to preserve his life. Removing them without a proper operating room would be suicide.

Such high-standard medical facilities could only be found in the Central.

But… at the very least, the compatibility between his EF and his bionic parts was improving. Now, his power had returned to 80% of his peak, thanks to the advanced medicine brought to him by the Central.

One had to admit that Gideon Voss was a good superior. He never slighted his subordinates, especially those useful to him. And Manifesto made sure to remain as useful as possible to avoid becoming one of the expendables in Gideon Voss's eyes.

Just like that female hero who used her looks to climb the ranks—only to die like a disposable pawn.

"Okay! Now, you can remove the debris and stabilize the barrier. I'll assist with moving him into the container," Manifesto said confidently.

The debris was slowly removed by machines, opening a passage through the rubble.

Whoosh!

Ricardo burst out from beneath the debris, charging at Manifesto—who was already prepared. Ricardo assumed Manifesto's power wouldn't be enough to injure him.

But this time was different—Manifesto had regained most of his strength.

With a single slash from his extended light blade, he severed Ricardo's armored leg cleanly. Another slash followed—both arms were cut off.

Before Ricardo could react, hard light restraints formed over the stumps of his limbs, sealing them off and preventing regeneration. This also stopped the formation of new limbs that would become even more resistant to further damage.

Ricardo was now helpless. His injuries wouldn't normally be considered severe—thanks to his regeneration capabilities, a few seconds would've been enough for him to be good as new.

But… he had underestimated his opponent, Manifesto.

He assumed Manifesto's power wasn't enough to injure him. He had judged Manifesto based on the earlier encounter—when Manifesto was weakened and in no condition to fight.

He let his newly improved power go to his head… and now, he was paying the price.

Manifesto walked toward Ricardo, who was now bound in a special restraint—one that injected nanites every 30 minutes to suppress regeneration abilities tied to regenerator-type EF powers.

Manifesto stepped on Ricardo's face, using it like a boot scraper. Dirt and mud fell from the sole of his boot onto Ricardo's face.

"You're lucky, thug. The leader needs you as a specimen—for research into your EF power," Manifesto sneered. "Otherwise, I would've cut off your head myself. I've always wanted to know—if I cut your head off, would you grow a second one?"

His voice was filled with venom and grudge.

Then, the soldiers moved Ricardo—still bound in his restraints—toward the specialized transport truck. But before they could load him in, a colossal dark spear came crashing down from the sky, striking the truck and obliterating it. The explosion injured several nearby soldiers.

True to his reputation as the number two hero in the UEC global rankings, Manifesto reacted instantly. He conjured a shield of light, protecting himself, several soldiers, and the restrained Ricardo from the explosion's full force.

A shadowy figure stood atop the massive dark spear, gazing down at the soldiers and Manifesto.

"I heard you were looking for me… here I am," the figure said, his terrifying voice sending shivers down the spines of every soldier present.

The sheer display of power—combined with the infamy surrounding the silhouette's first appearance, was overwhelming.

Nihilus.

The villain who commands the power of darkness… had arrived.

Seeing Nihilus's silhouette, Manifesto wasn't thrilled. He wasn't at full power, and fighting a villain who could command darkness in the dead of night wasn't a bet he was willing to take.

Now, there was only one thing on his mind—retreat and survive.

"Attack! Everyone, fire!" Manifesto ordered, and the soldiers quickly responded.

Maximilian—though not fond of killing innocents—saw things differently when it came to soldiers who pointed their guns at him. Sure, he knew they were just doing their jobs… but as soldiers, the risk of death was part of the job description.

Maximilian conjured a shadow domain, rendering all kinetic energy from bullets useless the moment they entered his range.

Then… several dark spears formed, launching down at the soldiers below.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The spears obliterated the group of soldiers and all their equipment—whether it was heavy machinery, lighting rigs, or tents, everything was destroyed in the process.

Manifesto, on the other hand, quickly used the chaos to make his escape—but under Maximilian's gaze, his retreating path was already marked.