Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain

"Retreat!" Photon Fury shouted, and many heroes quickly began to retreat. Those with powerful abilities stayed behind to hinder the pursuit, then retreated with Photon Fury providing covering fire.

Many heroes had fallen during the retreat, but the damage and chaos they had caused in this raid were significant enough to force the mutant army to reorganize.

At that moment, a mutant wearing a jeweled medallion walked out of the palace atop the behemoth's back. He unsheathed a gladius from his waist and flew toward Photon Fury, who was devastating his army.

"The Khan!" Photon Fury blurted out before brandishing her two photon blades and engaging the Khan in combat.

The bronze-like gladius clashed against the two superheated photon blades. Surprisingly… or perhaps as expected, the gladius didn't even suffer a scratch from the intense heat that could easily cut through a behemoth's leg.

Several fierce moves later, as the two fought with lethal intent, Photon Fury had never felt more grateful for the hellish training regime she had endured. That training was the only reason she could resist the mutant Khan.

She could feel it, her arm strength alone couldn't match the Khan's. If not for her skill in parrying and diverting the force of his blows, she would already have been reduced to dissected remains.

"You're a good warrior, human. Speak your name," the Khan said with a satisfied smile.

"Photon Fury," she answered, her eyes glancing toward the group of heroes still retreating. If talking with this mutant Khan bought them even a little more time to escape, she would take the chance.

"No, I mean your real name," the Khan asked.

"Pamela…" she paused, discomfort rising in her chest, but in the end, she said it. "Diamond," replied Photon Fury.

"Diamond! Good, the strong but beautiful stone!" the Khan said with admiration. His tone carried no mockery or sarcasm.

"You are a strong warrior, Diamond! So… this is my offer. Become a mutant, and you will be even stronger! I can even remake you into a beautiful mutant! Your skin will be tougher, your strength will increase, and you will have a longer lifespan than any human!" the Khan declared, extending his hand toward Photon Fury as if trying to convince her.

The Khan's speech and charisma were magnetic, he radiated the natural presence of a leader. Every gesture drew attention, and his voice was hard to ignore.

Photon Fury looked at the Khan's smiling face as he extended his hand to her.

She smirked.

"Sorry, Khan, but I don't want to become a human-eating monster," said Photon Fury.

With that, she quickly rushed toward the Khan, brandishing her blades and clashing with him again. The Khan easily intercepted the strike.

"Too bad…" the Khan sighed with disappointment.

Photon Fury immediately released her pre-charged energy, blasting photon power outward from her body.

BOOOOM!

The explosion blasted the Khan away, and Photon Fury retreated alongside the remaining surviving heroes.

The Khan didn't follow. He simply stared at Photon Fury's back. It wasn't that he didn't want to pursue, but as a leader, he couldn't afford to. He needed to stay behind to stabilize the chaos and reorganize his army.

— Night —

Photon Fury was now hiding within the ruins of one of many collapsed buildings, waiting for the scout's report. Her team had been assigned by Fort Commander Theodore to delay the mutant advance for at least 24 hours, and now, 10 hours had passed.

Only 30% of her crew remained combat-ready. The rest were either too injured to move or already dead.

"Ms. Photon Fury, the mutants seem to have managed to reorganize themselves," the scout reported as he returned from the field. "But they've lost most of their human meat supplies. They'll need to replenish those first. That should delay them by at least eight hours."

Photon Fury, seated in front of the mobile communication device, nodded and responded, "Got it. I'll send a few squads to disrupt their resupply efforts."

"Roger that. I'll keep my eyes on them and report periodically," said the scout.

After speaking with the scout, Photon Fury ordered a group of heroes to go out and hinder the mutants' resupply efforts.

They divided into three groups, with Photon Fury leading one of them. She didn't dare assign all the remaining heroes to the mission, someone had to stay behind to guard their hideout.

As the one least affected by injuries, she needed to lead a team and support the operation personally.

The groups dispersed to several locations, patrolling the areas where the mutants were most likely to go in search of people to abduct. These included known public hideouts where many scavengers tended to gather.

Even though Theodore had already declared the 50 kilometers surrounding the city-state a war zone. Many scavengers, especially the greedy ones or those without a way to communicate with the city, were still unaware of the situation. Some had remained out in the wild, scavenging for extended periods, and wouldn't know about the recent changes.

The groups were patrolling the ruins, especially near the known scavenger hideouts, where they encountered many mutant squads hunting for humans.

Fighting broke out, and the mutants suffered casualties. However, this advantage didn't last long. As soon as the mutants contacted their command, stronger mutant reinforcements were dispatched to counter the heroes.

The tide shifted the moment these enhanced mutants arrived. They were like elite warriors among the mutants. In fact, mutant EF could be selectively developed and nurtured to achieve desired effects and abilities.Their base physical strength was also far superior to that of humans. This meant that, in terms of quality, mutants were stronger and more effective than the average hero.

The groups had no choice but to retreat, or they risked being wiped out. Only Photon Fury's group could hold their ground due to her abilities and extensive training.

But… even though Photon Fury's group could resist, she was just one person. It was impossible for her to withstand the coordinated assault of many mutants, especially now that the other hero groups had retreated, and the enemy forces were converging on her position.

Then, at that moment, a series of whizzing sounds echoed throughout the ruined city.

Wheeeeze—Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flashes of fire and explosions lit up the night sky, drawing the mutants' attention and breaking their concentration. Photon Fury seized the opportunity and activated her Photon Blade, decapitating all nearby enemies in one swift motion.

She and the surviving heroes, who had barely held on through the battle, looked up at the dark sky.

Hundreds upon hundreds of fiery trails streaked through the heavens, cruise missiles launched from the silos in the city's fortress.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The symphony of destruction echoed across the ruined city. Back at the mutant camp, the enemy quickly raised their shields to intercept the missiles.

"It's coming! We've succeeded!" Photon Fury said with a relieved smile. Their mission had been simple:

Delay the mutant advance long enough for the fortress to reconstruct a new aiming-assist system with the help of an EF user possessing powerful technopathy.

Seeing the flames and explosions engulfing the mutants, Photon Fury and all the heroes who witnessed the scene felt a wave of relief.

The cruise missiles were specifically designed to counter shield-type EF abilities, rendering the mutants' defenses futile.

Within a minute of intense bombardment, the shield collapsed completely. The mutant army fell into disarray as fire and heat consumed them, scorching and glassing the surrounding area.

But just before the bombardment could finish its job, a second shield was raised. This one was stronger… far stronger that the first one.

The newly erected barrier didn't even flinch. It absorbed the cruise missile impacts and artillery fire without showing any signs of cracking. It was as if the powerful explosions detonating on contact were nothing more than sparks from a cigarette lighter.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The bombardment continued, but the sense of relief that had filled Photon Fury's heart was now replaced by a gnawing dread.

This level of shielding… among the mutants, only one possessed that kind of strength!

The Mutant Khan!

"Retreat. Let's retreat out of here first. Our mission is complete," Photon Fury said to the remaining heroes in her team.

Their objective was finished. No matter the outcome, they had completed their part. It was better to fall back, regroup, and return to the city in preparation for the war that was about to begin.

Photon Fury quickly used the night and the chaos to retreat, but… suddenly, she felt like the darkness above was moving… shifting in a bizarre, unnatural pattern.

The darkness gathered together into a colossal spear, its size comparable to a mountain. The one controlling it…

Was none other than Nihilus.

She saw Nihilus hurl the mountain-sized spear toward the shield below.

Boom!!!

With a single strike, the shield shattered, like glass smashed by a hammer at full force.

With the shield gone, the bombardment resumed. But this time, no one could stop it. The moment a new shield was erected, Nihilus launched another mountain-sized spear at it, destroying it instantly.

The bombardment continued to intensify. Mutants trying to hide in nearby buildings were mistaken, there was no refuge. The bombardment mercilessly demolished the entire structures, burying them alive under thousands of tons of debris and concrete.

The sight of the mutant camp was so pitiful that even Photon Fury felt a pang of pity for them.