VILLAIN'S RISING

“Haa! Haa!” Panting heavily and trying to keep his pain-stricken body floating in the air, Sam activated his [Neither Manipulation] ability.

Although on the outside, Sam’s body was in optimal condition. But continuous use of his abilities was putting a heavy toll on his mind.

He was exhausted- both mentally and physically.

Although his stamina kept on regenerating, Sam knew his body would reach its limit sooner or later.

While on the other hand, Starsuper continued to fight without any signs of stopping anytime soon.

Yes, his superhero costume was in rags.

Yes, his body was constantly being covered in scars and burns as soon as they healed because of the onslaught of dragons on him.

Yes, he was suffering.

But that was not nearly enough for Sam.

42 of his dragons had already fallen. 7 remaining ones were still fighting Starsuper while Sam was recovering from his exhausted state.

Although he would join the battle from time to time, even his presence in the battle wasn’t making much of a difference against Starsuper.

At this point, Sam was starting to believe that the legend of Starsuper ‘almost dying’ while facing the dragons of the Dragonheart household was far-fetched.

Either that or his dragons just weren’t fighting with their full potential.

Well, that was a given since these majestic, mighty dragons were mere common reptiles until a few hours ago.

They didn’t live like dragons, so it was natural they wouldn’t be able to fight like ones either.

For example, if an ape were to evolve into a human right now, it wouldn’t be able to act like a human instantly. It would work on its instincts.

Similarly, these dragons were fighting on their instincts.

Well, it was the best Sam could do. Even his god-like ability has a limit.

However, he knew if things were to continue at this pace, this battle would become his death sentence.

“Tsk,” clicking his tongue in annoyance, Sam started formulating a plan in his mind.

In the distance, he could see Starsuper fighting a flock of dragons– whose numbers were down to 7 at the moment.

-Kabooom!

With every punch that Starsuper threw, a shockwave would create.

His punch didn’t have to connect. The shockwave itself would deal enough damage to his opponent.

That was his signature move– starpunch.

Starpunch was the symbol of justice and light for the world.

That move acted as people’s hope— hope that they and their families are safe as long as Starsuper stands.

But Sam knew better.

People are sinfully stupid.

They praise and hail Starsuper like he’s some kind of god. They couldn’t see what Sam could.

Starsuper is not a god. And he’s not an ally. He’s the enemy. The enemy that’s stopping humans from progressing.

As long as there is a merciful God in this world, people will continue to be ignorant of their weaknesses.

They’ll continue to be sinful.

What they need is a ruler that can push their limits with no regard for them! A monarch that can guide them to new heights! A sovereign can unite them!

What they need is a god.

Not a merciful and soft-hearted one like Starsuper, who sees beauty in brokenness, but a ruthless and selfish god who can do what needs to be done even if that means stripping humans of their humanity.

So as he watched Starsuper showcasing his starpunch, instinctively, he clenched his fists.

Anger. Pure unadulterated anger quelled up in him.

He wasn’t angry at Starsuper. Rather, he was furious with his reasoning and his motivation to win this war.

Sam wanted to truly unite humans by creating a hive mind and leading them to unreachable heights.

Starsuper wanted to save humans by protecting their individuality.

That fool.

Sacrifices need to be made in order to attain the unattainable.

Even Odin had to sacrifice an eye to become the mighty wisdom god he’s known as today.

pan-da-n0vel.com Sure, one could argue that Sam merely wanted to rule over the world and nothing more. His reasons were his way to justify his actions.

And honestly, Sam was fine with that argument. He had no problem being the bad guy. After all, he is a villain.

“Ghaaaaaur!”

Right then, when Sam was recovering, a dragon swung its massive palm at Starsuper.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Starsuper tried to tank the hit, but the force was enough for his body to be flung a few meters back in the air.

Exactly at that moment, Sam saw an opening! Starsuper’s back was wide open. His attention was completely diverted to the dragons!

This was his chance! His chance to end this battle and, by extension, win this war!

And needless to say, without hesitating even a little bit, Sam took that chance. He decided to capitalize on that opening.

Clenching his claw-like fists, Sam circulated the otherworldly energy of [Neither Manipulation] in his body.

With inhuman speed, Sam shot at Starsuper like a bullet.

With his palm forward like a sword, Sam thrust his hand at Starsuper’s nape, intending to cleave his head off.

“Your attacks are way too simple!”

That was the last thing Sam heard before Starsuper quickly twisted his body in the air and faced Sam.

Sam’s eyes shot wide. That reaction was super quick, even for Starsuper! It was almost as if he was… expecting it…

Then it hit Sam.

He realized that Starsuper had seen countless wars. His battle experience greatly surpassed that of Sam’s.

It only took him a split second to discern that the opening earlier was intentional.

Starsuper wanted Sam to close the distance and let his guard down. And that’s exactly what he did.

But unfortunately, Sam realized all this way too late….

Starsuper cocked his head to the right, dodging Sam’s palm thrust by a hair’s breadth.

Simultaneously, using the circular momentum that he gained while twisting his body in mid-air earlier, Starsuper guided his left fist toward Sam’s open solar plexus in an upward motion.

-Thwabooooooom!

“!”

Sam’s mouth gaped wide open. His lungs were squished, but the air didn’t come out, nor did it come in. He couldn’t breathe.

For a moment, everything went black. When he regained consciousness, he felt his body hitting the cold, hard, rocky ground.

The force his body hit the rocky surface was so great that he could even feel crevices forming around him.

A creator must’ve formed, too, but his vision was still blacked out for him to confirm.

His body was in pain. Unimaginable pain.

Almost instinctively, Sam intentionally turned off his pain receptors.

Although that wasn’t a wise thing to do while in the middle of an ongoing battle, he felt like he would die from the pain.

Finally, after a few seconds, his regeneration kicked in, and his body started repairing itself.

His body also reacted on its own, and Sam opened his mouth to breathe in some air.

…But for some reason, he couldn’t?

Confused, he commanded his body to heal his eyes. He wanted to see what was going on.

Instantly, his eyes were repaired, and Sam regained his vision.

He saw a clear black sky like that of… night?

Wait, what was happening? A few moments ago, it was evening? Why was it night now?

Confused, Sam tried to move, but his body refused. It seemed like he was still healing.

Thus, from his position, he started moving his eyes to scrutinize his surroundings the best he could.

White uneven ground, cold surface, no air, and a night sky….

A frown appeared on Sam’s face as he started deducing his situation.

Wait… it couldn’t be….!

Sam’s eyes widened at the realization. He couldn’t believe it!

When his body healed a bit, he moved and sat back straight up.

He looked around to confirm his deduction. And he was right.

He was on the moon. Right in front of him was Earth.

The force from that last punch sent Sam flying into space! Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!

He looked at his abdomen and found a big gaping hole around the area of his solar plexus.

The spot where Starsuper’s punch landed was pulverized! If not for dragon scales absorbing the rest of the force, his whole body would’ve been in shreds right about now.

Sam dreadfully looked at his body, healing itself and repairing the hole in his stomach.

Cold sweat formed on his forehead as his hands began to tremble. Never in his life had he been so close to death.

If not for his dragon scales and otherworldly energy of [Neither Manipulation], he surely would’ve died.

There’s no coming back to life if his body gets pulverized to fine particles. His regeneration wasn’t as absolute as Willburns.

(Sam, get a hold of yourself! He’s coming!)

‘What?!’

Since he couldn’t speak in space, Sam expressed his surprise in his mind.

He looked forward and saw a dot heading toward him! That was Starsuper?! What god-like speed!

Sam was left stunned. Starsuper was closing the distance between the moon and earth as easily as he was taking a stroll!

(What are you doing? Get up, Sam. Fight! If you lose here, you’ll never become the god you are destined to be! You’ll never be able to create the world that you’ve dreamed of! Get up and fight!)

‘Fight… Against someone like him?’

With trembling eyes, Sam watched in horror as the dot kept growing closer to him.

Sam always believed that he could take Starsuper on if he got the power of dragons. But now, after barely escaping death? He wasn’t so sure now.

Had he been delusional? Did he stand no chance from the start? Was Starsuper really… a god?

Sam was just an 18-year-old kid. How could he ever hope to defeat someone god-like?!

This was the moment when Sam truly understood, he was able to exploit Starsuper’s weakness because the latter was letting him.

Had Starsuper truly gone for the kill, Sam stood no chance.

The only reason Sam made it this far against him was using innocent people as his human shield.

This feeling of powerlessness and a sudden moment of self-realization threw Sam off guard. He started panicking.

‘If I surrender, will he let me live? I’ll beg if I have to…. No, he won’t… I’ve come too far…. No, no, no! Should I run… Where to, though?! I’m space! I’m in fucking space! Where can I run from the moon? I get it, this is just a dream! Yes, a dream! Soon I’ll wake up….’

In a state of utter panic, Sam started pulling his hair. His mind was bombarded with all kinds of thoughts. He started deluding himself.

In the face of absolute power, even the strongest and most experienced would feel despair… so this was just an 18-year-old boy….

But right then, shaking him out of his panicked state, the voice in Sam’s mind spoke.

(Sam! Get a hold of yourself!)

‘G-Get a hold? Are you not seeing what I am? He punched me to the moon! To the freaking moon! I could’ve died if not for my dragon scales and [Neither Manipulation] protecting my body from getting pulverized!’

(I know, but that didn’t happen! Do you know why? Because I am with you!)

‘Wh-What?’

(Remember, who told you to get [Neither Manipulation]? Me! Who gave you the idea to turn yourself into a dragon-human hybrid to greatly enhance your physical capabilities? Me! I had already taken everything into account!)

‘Y…You had?’

(Yes, that’s why just trust me and do what I say. If you do that, we’ll be fine!)

Finally, the trembling in Sam’s eyes calmed down a bit. His lips stopped quivering, and he wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.

To clear his thoughts and make him focus solely on the battle, the voice in his head out one final nail in the coffin by saying

(So get up and get ready. All the pain that you’ve been through in your childhood will mean nothing if you die here! So get up, Sam! Get up and fight!)

Nodding, Sam weakly got on his knees and began standing. His body had long been healed.

(You don’t need to breathe, and your body won’t be affected by the vacuum. It seems your hybrid physiology is more durable than we thought)

‘Yeah… I didn’t expect this body to be this tough.’

(Keep using [Neither Manipulation] to strengthen your body further when facing Starsuper, though. Don’t let him hit you by being careless like the last time, and we’ll be fine. I’ll guide you on what to do while fighting him.)

‘Mmmm,’ Sam nodded. ‘I’m counting on you.’

Sam felt his confidence coming back. Along with it came strength. He stood tall and glared at the dot that was still getting closer to him with a fierce look.

He was ready now. No more self-doubts. Even if he were facing someone so god-like or even a real god itself, he would not back down!

-Thwaaam!

In just under a minute, Starsuper arrived on the moon’s surface and landed as if a meteor had struck.

6 meters. Just a 6-meter gap between the Progenitor and the first Hero.

Neither exchanged a word, and it was not like they could talk in the vacuum of space either.

Honestly, Starsuper was impressed. That last punch that he landed on Sam was with his 40% strength.

Sam was able to tank a blow like that. He truly was strong. However, this was a dead end for him.

In space, Starsuper didn’t have to worry about getting people hurt or putting earth in danger.

Here… he could unleash his full strength.