Villain Retirement

'I am dead. I have been for a very long time.'

There was nothing between or around Riley and Xra—just the empty expanse of space that shied and paled in comparison compared to the darkness being held by the two individuals it enveloped.

One had long white hair that moved completely still, grounded by its master. The other, a long jet-black hair that scattered and melded with the darkness, and yet still incredibly still. Their eyes were clear and red respectively, but both held the same temper… and neither relenting.

'I was born 8,000 years ago, in a civilization divided by wealth,' Xra's voice once again permeated through Riley's mind unabashed and unfazed, 'A place where oppression is—'

"That would explain your personality, Pirate Queen Shakira."

Riley did not let her start her story, however; as this time, instead of just replying in his mind, he once again created a pocket for his voice to travel through Xra's ears,

"I have known 3 people that have lived for a very long time, they are all mentally unstable, quirky, and talkative. Except for Bulwark, he is quiet. But then again, I believe he was the only one that is capable of having a normal relationship each time—there is surely a correlation with that and the mental instability of ancients."

'...You dare presume to know me just moments after we meet?' Xra's dark eyebrows furrowed as she floated closer to Riley; the stands of her long black hair, veiling and almost panning wide as they were left behind her.

"No," Riley shook his head as he too floated closer to Xra. In contrast to her, however, Riley's hair remained absolutely fixed, "I already had an assumption of you even before we met, Pirate Queen Chakra. I also feel obliged to tell you that you look bald from my perspective because your hair melds with space."

'Are your thoughts of murder and torture the only things that do not escape your mouth?' Xra's lips started to twitch; her fangs, being revealed ever so slightly.

"They are almost like white noise to me at this point, Pirate Queen Sarah."

'Yes! Almost!' Xra then showed all of her teeth as she heard Riley almost pronouncing her name right, 'I am starting not to hate you, boy.'

"Most older people seem to take a liking to me, Pirate Queen Shakira. It would seem I have that charm."

'...' Xra's eye once again started to twitch as a smile that reached from ear to ear very slowly crawled on Riley's face, 'You're going to die now.'

Xra's fingers started moving; the blood in her veins, now even more visible as her flesh seemed to contract.

'Crack, crack.' If sound traveled through the vast expanse of space, then the snapping and cracking of her bones would have probably already rippled through it,

'Crick, crack.'

"...Are you making sound effects in your mind, Pirate Queen Shakira?"

'You'll learn to do it once you spend enough time in the big black,' Xra smirked as she stretched her hand to the side, causing her fingernails to grow long and sharp as she did so, 'Anyway, die.'

Xra's arms disappeared into the darkness, while Riley already had both his hands raised, covering his upper torso and head. Nothing really happened… until a full second has passed, that is.

Riley's sleeves very slowly started to rip open, followed by more than a pint of blood slowly building up into a sphere as they escaped from the gushes.

"..."

Riley then tilted his head to the side while his arms were still blocking his head to take a peek at Xra, before turning to look behind him… as he noticed the asteroids that were probably kilometers away from them were now finely sliced, similar to the gashes that rested in his arms.

"Are you stronger than a Themarian, Pirate Queen Xra?" He said as he turned to look at Xra again.

'I won't know,' the smirk on Xra's face became even more prevalent as she trailed her finger on her chin, 'I've only killed one before.'

And as soon as he said that, the wide smile on Riley's face returned; his eyes, squinted due to the inner side of his eyebrows being raised and his mouth opening up.

'...Which part of the Unknown did you come from?' Xra's smirk instantly disappeared as she saw the disgusting look of excitement on Riley's face.

'The end.'

Riley's eyes only glowed for a millisecond, before the light violently gushed straight toward Xra's face. Xra, however, only stretched her palm toward the light, before creating some sort of red shield which caused the beam to split in half.

"..." Riley blinked, instantly shutting down his heat vision as he stared at Xra's shield. He initially thought the shield was reflecting the light coming from his eyes, but no.

He looked at his already healed arms, and then toward the string of blood that came from it… which led and connected straight to the red rectangular shield that was protecting Xra's entire body.

"So, I was right. You can control blood," Riley's smile didn't have any signs of fading away, "Why not just make me explode from the inside, Pirate Queen Xra?"

'I've already tried earlier back in the ship, you resisted it.'

"That's because I can control blood too. Not quite as strong as you, though. I fought a blood bender before, Pirate Queen Xra—he died with all his blood drained from his body."

Xra scoffed as her blood shield started to wriggle, before turning into a spear as she swung her arm to the side,

'Stop talking and start fighting.'

"I found that beings as strong as we tend to just talk, Pirate Queen Xra. At least that is my experience with Aerith.'

'...Aerith?' Xra raised an eyebrow, 'The rebellious princess? Interesting.'

"You know her?"

'Of course,' Xra started to chuckle in her mind,

'I killed her betrothed.'

"Interesting," Riley tilted his head to the side as he too, waved his hand to the side—summoning a spear of light as he did so.

'...How many abilities do you have?' Xra licked her lips as she felt the scalding heat coming from Riley's long stick, before moving and posing in a stance.

"Perhaps you will be the first to see all of them, Pirate Queen Xra," Riley muttered as he tucked his lightspear in his arm and stretching his other arm toward Xra,

"Shall we dance?"

'A flair for the dramatic, I don't hate it.'

"..."

'...'

"..."

And with the silence persisting, Xra lightly swung her spear to the left as she slightly tilted her head to the right… blocking Riley's lightspear without even looking at it. However, it was just that—the lightspear.

Riley was not holding it, and was instead behind her and still carrying a wide smile on his face. His hand that seemed to be covered by some sort of steel-like blade, already threatening to pierce through the back of Xra's head.

'...' Xra only turned to look at Riley, before just opening her mouth to catch the blade between her teeth. And with another smirk crawling on her face, she shattered the blade before spinning her body and piercing Riley through the jaw straight to the top of his head with her bloodspear.

With a slight snarl and a click of her tongue, she pulled the bloodspear backward, shaving and tearing off Riley's face completely—no blood, however.

'How many of these can you make?' Xra said as she turned to look at Riley, who was actually just floating behind her upside down. Well, Xra could be the one upside down, there really was no way of knowing in space.

"Less than a thousand," Riley shrugged, "Enough to kill everyone and everything."

'That's your goal? To eradicate all life?' Xra squinted her eyes.

"I suppose."

'Then why are you not doing it yet?'

"I am. The clone I tasked to start it was arrested and is being held somewhere, unfortunately," Riley let out a small sigh as he shook his head, "I will continue it once I am done with burying my mother in Theran."

'...Your mother is Themarian?'

"My adoptive mother, yes."

'Huh… weird,' Xra also shrugged her shoulders, before suddenly throwing her spear toward Riley—who also suddenly disappeared from where he was just previously floating.

The bloodspear continued on to fly through the universe at an unknown speed, hitting a giant asteroid millions of kilometers away and making a hole in it… and still continuing to fly.

'...' Xra squinted as she scanned her surroundings for any signs of Riley. And after a few moments of doing so, her lips started to turn upward,

'Your thoughts of murder are as noisy as ever!' Xra said as she swung her arm behind her; her sharp nails… cutting nothing.

'...What?' Xra blinked a couple of times; her eyes, moving at an insane speed as she tried to find Riley, who she was sure was behind her.

'Kill. Kill. I will kill you.'

'...' The thoughts were loud and clear in front of her, and yet there was no physical sign of him at all,

'Invisibility? Is this one of your many abilities?'

"Ew, no."

'!!!' Xra's eyes started to widen; the pores on her pale skin, also opening up as she felt a slight chill she hadn't experienced for a very long time. And then, very slowly… she turned her head down.

"I, fortunately, haven't died from someone who can turn invisible yet, Pirate Queen Xra."

'No,' Xra's fangs started to show themselves as she squinted; her red eyes, completely focused on Riley… who was now as small as a clove of garlic and floating just a foot away from her waist.

'Don't you even dare attempt what you are about to attempt.'