Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain

"That's a fact. But it's also a fact that even the weakest mutant is stronger than the average human. They even have a ritual that lets them choose their own EF.

There's even a saying that the first Wild Walker who brought enhanced tattoo technology was a mutant who saw himself as human and decided to help humanity outside the confines of the cities," Strauss paused, then continued.

"From what I've uncovered about the Echelon, they believe that humans should be livestock. They share the same mindset as the mutants. That's why they're trying to perfect mutant biology, by stabilizing their DNA, so mutants don't have to depend on human genes and DNA anymore," said Strauss.

"And what does that have to do with Nihilus?" she asked, still not understanding.

"Don't you see? The reason why the mutant war started this early, instead of a few years down the line, is because Nihilus uncovered all of The Echelon's plans. Hell… he even captured one of their key operatives, Manifesto, for us. They had no choice but to start a war, a war that neither side is prepared for," Strauss said.

"Then what about those children? Are you saying they were a necessary sacrifice just to teach me a lesson? I admit, I wasn't at my best back then, but… those children…" Photon Fury gritted her teeth.

She remembered the time she lost control of her powers, killed all those children, and still failed to defeat Nihilus. Then Nihilus, using only martial arts, subdued her. No powers, no flashy weapons... just pure skill.

That defeat forced her to rethink everything about her career. She had believed that, given her level of power, she should have been offered more important roles, higher-level missions, and greater public admiration.

She dismissed her setbacks as discrimination, without realizing the real reason: her skills simply weren't good enough. Sure, she had been trained by Atlas once, but she had brushed it off, thinking Atlas succeeded only because he was the number one hero.

But after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Nihilus, she changed.

She became obsessed with honing her skills, using the least amount of power to deliver the most effective results in neutralizing threats.

As a result, she grew stronger, so strong that she even found it hard to believe.

But even now… she still couldn't forgive.

She still couldn't forgive herself or Nihilus for the lives of those children. To her, their deaths were unnecessary.

If Nihilus was so great, why didn't he find a way to accomplish his goals without sacrificing those children?

"By the way, those weren't children. They were mice, mice that Nihilus prepared in advance to fool you," Strauss said calmly.

Photon Fury's mind went blank for a moment before she snapped back to reality.

"Mice!? That's impossible!" she shouted.

"No… It's completely possible. That guy once hacked our database. He knows your weakness. Your bio-vision can't differentiate between humans and animals. If I remember correctly, you see them as nodes of light, right? The larger ones are humans, the biggest ones are mutated beasts, and the smaller ones are animals. That's because the life force of animals and most unmutated species is weaker than ours," Strauss said, then continued.

"But what if they were mutated mice? Strong enough to trick your senses into thinking they were children?" he asked, then placed a neatly organized file on the table.

Photon Fury took it and read. Inside, she saw evidence from the aftermath of the incident, detailed analysis, reports, and expert conclusions.

The analysts suggested that Nihilus had been disappointed with her performance. That's why he did what he does best: he staged a hostage situation to teach her the importance of real skill.

"What…?" Photon Fury was in disbelief. She looked at Strauss.

"Is this some kind of hoax?" she asked. But deep down, part of her already believed the evidence. She knew Strauss too well not to.

"Do I look like someone with too much free time on their hands? No. This is a cold, hard fact. Believe it or not, it's your choice," Strauss said with his usual stoic expression.

"No… I didn't mean it like that. It's just…" she paused. "It's just hard to believe."

"Then what do you plan to do? Go out there and declare to the world that he's actually a hero? Do you want him to keep fighting alone?" she asked.

"No, we're not going to do anything. At most, we'll establish covert cooperation with him. There's no need to clarify anything to the public," Strauss replied, his voice matter-of-fact.

"Wh… Why!?"

"Because his status as a villain benefits both him and us. For him, he doesn't have to worry about PR. He doesn't need to look good while saving someone, or pull off a publicity stunt when he blows up an abandoned building to catch a villain or send a message to the public. Being a villain, especially the most hated one, gives both him and us a lot more room to maneuver," Strauss explained.

"But… but that's not right. He's a hero, isn't he? He should...." Photon Fury tried to protest, but Strauss cut her off.

"That's why I call him a hero that we need, but do not deserve," Strauss said, his face stoic, his tone firm. Whether he was speaking to her or to himself… only Strauss knew.

— Back to present —

Photon Fury let out a sigh as she observed the mutant army moving toward the Arkadia City State.

"They're within our ambush zone. Are we going to start yet?" one of the heroes on lookout asked.

"Wait… their backline still hasn't entered the city ruins. Once their backline and supply troops are inside, I'll hit them with a big one, then we'll start the operation," Photon Fury replied as she watched the mutant army advancing into the ruined city area.

The wait was torturous. All of the heroes did their best to stay hidden, even those with camouflage abilities pushed themselves to blend in as much as possible.

"The supply troops have entered the city. Ms. Photon Fury?" the scout hero asked, glancing toward their leader.

"Attack them after I hit them with a big one. Then retreat after twenty minutes of causing as much destruction and chaos as possible. Understood?" Photon Fury said before jumping out of the window, flying low and using the ruins to obscure herself from the mutant lookouts.

After a few minutes, she stationed herself directly behind the enemy's marching line. Then… she began to charge.

The guards protecting the supply caravan began to notice something strange. Photons in the air started gathering and condensing behind them. They instinctively turned to look.

But it was already too late.

Zzzzpppp—Booooom!

A massive photon blast was unleashed, this itme…. it was larger than the one Photon Fury had used last time. The beam was big enough to vaporize an entire building without leaving a trace behind.

The mutants protecting the supply lines immediately used their abilities to form a shield.

The photon beam collided with the barrier. The shield held for only a few seconds before being completely overwhelmed. The beam swallowed the mutants and their supplies, continuing its destructive path forward.

Boooom!

The blast was finally halted by a powerful shielding ability from one of the Behemoths stationed at the very rear of the formation. Even so, the blast's sheer power caused chaos in the backlines.

With the destruction as a signal, the heroes hidden in the ruined city sprang into action and launched their attack on the mutant army.

The heroes arrived wearing two types of battle suits, either the light protective suits used for dangerous operations or the heavy suits worn by those who lacked mobility.

They were wreaking havoc on the marching formation. The average mutant troops and supply personnel were no match for them. Fire, ice, and lightning barraged the area as mutants with stronger EF began emerging from their cozy palaces atop the behemoths to confront the heroes.

Some of the Seedsters rushed toward the human cages, where people were imprisoned to serve as fresh food supplies. The heroes had already destroyed the packed rations, and the mutants couldn't survive without human flesh.

The mutants were forced to slow down to reorganize or spend more time hunting stray humans in the area to replenish their lost supply.

As time passed, more powerful mutants emerged from the palaces atop the behemoths and engaged in fierce battles against the heroes.

Their numbers grew steadily. As more enemies appeared, Photon Fury moved to support the heavy-hitter heroes, especially those in heavy battle suits, helping them retreat to the outer perimeter to minimize casualties.

The photon blade in her hand swung with practiced ease. Each strike claimed a mutant's life. She used less energy to achieve results her former self couldn't have imagined.

Her precision had grown to a near-microscopic level, this is how much of her obsession with skill and accuracy has become.

The battle dragged on, but now it was time to retreat.

Each hero wore a synchronized watch and knew exactly when to pull back.

All of them disengaged immediately. Some were distracted and paid with their lives, but Photon Fury quickly denied the mutants their prize.

The moment a hero fell, she fired her photon beam to disintegrate their corpse. She refused to let her comrades become food for the mutants. This was the least dignity she could offer them.