Dear Heroes, I really am a Villain

"Stop! Stop nowww!" the Khan roared in anger as he rushed into the sky, where Nihilus stood, and brandished his sword at him.

Clank!

A dark katana, its blackness like it had been forged from the night itself, met with the gladius in the Khan's hand.

The fight erupted amidst the bombardment from the city. The Khan was frantic and panicked. He was afraid that if he didn't end this fight quickly, all of his people who came for war might die under the relentless assault.

Flashes of blades lit up the night as the Khan went all out from the start. His gladius burst into flame and struck at Nihilus, but... like an adult toying with children, Nihilus parried the gladius at its weakest point and diverted the flame with only a slight shift of his body.

"What!?" the Khan exclaimed in disbelief. He never imagined his skill would be this ineffective. But this moment of shock gave his enemy the opening he needed.

With a swift slash, Nihilus decapitated the Khan's right arm, then aimed for his neck.

The Khan, now missing his right arm, felt his life slipping away. All his instincts flared. He quickly used his left arm and activated his ability, transforming his skin and muscle into steel.

Clank!

The shadow blade struck the arm he raised to protect his neck. It cut deep, drawing blood.

But then, something unnatural happened. Both the blood from his severed arm and the open wound transformed into crimson threads that quickly snaked back into his body like foreign invaders. The foreign blood wreaked havoc inside the Khan's body.

His lungs were pierced, his heart crushed, and the invasive blood surged into his bloodstream, rushing toward his brain.

"Aaarghhh! Uurghhh!" the Khan groaned in agony. He could feel death creeping in. If he didn't use his trump card now, there would be no chance.

"Lord Ares! I... cough!!" The Khan choked up blood. But Nihilus, sensing danger, reacted first. His blade sliced the Khan's throat and pierced directly toward the medallion on the Khan's chest.

That medallion had the same design as his own. He wouldn't risk letting anything go wrong.

Clank!

Surprisingly, the medallion proved to be far more durable than Maximilian had expected. He plummeted to the ground along with the Khan's headless corpse.

Boom!

They landed in the middle of the battlefield, where the bombardment still raged. But Maximilian's shadow wriggled like it had a mind of its own, precisely swatting away the incoming artillery shells aimed near the remaining mutants.

Boom!

The artillery exploded, but the shrapnel was entirely blocked by the lifelike shadow.

This shadow was one of the two things Maximilian had given life to using his EF ability, Inorganic Lifegiver.

Maximilian increased the pressure on the medallion's plate. The moment it started to crack, a red light burst out of it. The light began to take shape as a head and right arm, replacing the ones Maximilian had severed.

The Khan's corpse, no... the resurrected Khan, began to rise. The red light fully formed into a new head and arm, but Maximilian could feel it. This was no longer the Khan. Someone else was using the remnants of his body.

He sensed that whatever was controlling the Khan now was far stronger than it had been before. He noticed the plate was already cracked.

"How disappointing… The Khan of the mutants lost his life this easily? What a pity," the new owner of the Khan's body spoke with disdain.

Fwip!

With a burst of motion, Maximilian rushed toward the resurrected Khan and aimed his sword at the plate again. But the Khan's body shifted smoothly to Maximilian's left—the side where the sword's trajectory couldn't be easily changed.

"Oh? A surprise attack. Good instinct… though you are still mortal," the being controlling the Khan's body said.

But—

Pierce! Slash!

The shadow at Maximilian's feet lashed out and sliced both of the Khan's legs, sending the body tumbling to the ground.

"You!" the Khan's new owner roared in fury. He tried to regenerate the legs using his power, but it was too late.

The colossal spear Maximilian had prepared earlier fell from above, slamming into the ground where the Khan's body lay.

Boom!

The spear crushed both the Khan's body and the plate in a single strike. Maximilian knew this entity was dangerous. He wouldn't give him the chance to unleash anything else.

With the Khan dead again and the bombardment halted, the mutants, despite their heavy losses, retained their ferocity.

Half of the mutants had died in the bombardment, yet millions remained.

The moment the Khan died, every mutant felt it. They quickly searched for the one who killed their leader and found Maximilian standing over the shattered remains.

Fueled by rage, they charged toward him with reckless abandon. They wanted to tear him apart. But—

The moment they stepped near Maximilian's shadow, they were decapitated without him even moving. His shadow moved on its own, killing any mutant who came close to its master.

Only a dozen fell to the shadowy blade. It wasn't enough to stop the horde, and the mutants kept coming. Even the last surviving Behemoth approached, trying to crush Maximilian.

He dodged to the side and launched another massive spear from the darkness above. It pierced through the Behemoth, killing it and pinning the colossal creature to the ground.

A sea of blood gushed out of the Behemoth, and Maximilian could feel it. He could control all the blood that no longer belonged to a living being. Blood in corpses or spilled on the ground was his to command.

Channeling all his power through Blood Emperor, the sea of blood rose and transformed into a tide of spears aimed at the mutant army.

Pierce! Pierce!

The blood surged outward with Maximilian at its center, killing every mutant it touched. The blood morphed into countless spears, impaling the mutants and hoisting them into the air.

The scene resembled a battlefield out of the darkest legends, like the battlefield where Vlad the Impaler reigned, come to life.

With every death, the blood of the mutants pooled together, forming a mass that grew larger and larger until it engulfed the entire army.

In place of the mutant horde, a vast sea of blood now stretched across the ruined city, drowning everything in its path and ending the siege of the Arkadia City-State.

"Nihilus…"

A familiar voice called out to Maximilian, and he turned toward it.

Photon Fury was looking at Maximilian with a complicated gaze. She didn't know how to feel about him. Yes, she felt humiliated when she lost to him, but that defeat had also pushed her to invest herself in training, helping her become a better version of herself.

She let out a sigh before uttering a word.

"Thank you…"

Maximilian was startled, and Photon Fury noticed it. This made her want to smack his head. What did this guy even think of her!? But on second thought, never mind. It was better not to know.

"No need… Who told me to live in this damn city," Maximilian said, playing the role of a reluctant villain who just happened to save the day.

He used the blood as a platform to launch himself onto the rooftop of a nearby building.

"Let's say you're the one who did this. If I ever get praised for saving this city… it would make my skin crawl," Maximilian said, before activating the jetpack on his back and flying off into the night sky.

But, unknown to him… a revenge plan was already forming in Photon Fury's mind. She let out a mischievous smirk before heading off to regroup with her people.

— Realm of God —

Within Area Pantheon, inside the opulent chamber, Ares stood fuming in front of a strange machine. The device shared the same design as the one in Atherna's palace.

"Damn it!" Ares cursed, punching the machine and destroying it.

Beside him stood a man in a black robe, calmly observing the shattered device.

"Lord Ares, that machine wasn't easy to build," the robed man said.

"I don't care! You'll either repair it or build a new one. Otherwise, I won't help you ascend to godhood!" Ares snapped, fury still burning in his eyes.

Creak…

The large door opened. Vorthan, the god of mutation, walked in with a solemn expression, followed by Atherna, clad in full white armor.

Vorthan pointed toward Ares.

"He's over there, Your Majesty. Now, could you please forgive me, as you promised?" Vorthan asked, feigning pitifulness.

"You may go, Vorthan," Atherna said coldly.

Vorthan quickly bowed and retreated. He didn't dare remain for even a second longer.

"Oh… so it was you who manifested in the mortal realm and tried to bully my husband?" Atherna said, her chilling smile spreading.

Seeing that smile, Ares felt a deep chill in his heart. He had once longed to see that woman smile. But now, seeing it aimed directly at him like this…

He felt regret. He should never have gotten involved with this woman.