Chapter 427: Hallucinations

"...Clown?"

This was it.

The feeling that Gary was trying to search for ever since he had been growing stronger and stronger— the feeling of finally being able to release them as the target of all his rage was finally in front of him.

All the humiliation he had suffered.

All the pain.

All the looks of pity.

His mother may have been the beginning, but Riley Ross was the one to fully nourish and cultivate the monster that was hiding deep within him.

"You"re the one wearing your stupid f.u.c.king costume, Riley… Now, who is the clown between us?"

"I already said it was you, Gary," Riley shrugged as he just took a step forward, "I am wearing my Darkday outfit because I am fighting a superhero, I thought it proper to do so."

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"Heh," Gary only let out a smirk as he looked at Darkday. He had always felt a sense of fear and dread whenever he looked at this human-shaped void. There was always a ringing inside his head that was telling every fibre of his being to just run away and never look back.

But now, the only thing that was left was the anger he was feeling. But soon, that too will be gone as soon as he completely erases Riley Ross from existence.

"I"ve grown stronger, Darkday— even stronger than my mother," Gary let out a small cackle.

"I highly doubt that, Gary," Darkday only shook his head; his helmet, not even reflecting any of the flames and embers that littered the city,

"Do you really think Aerith fought you seriously? Themarians are capable of destroying planets if they want to. Why do you think the evaniels are watching in the first place?"

"...And you think I can"t do that?" The smile on Gary"s face slowly faded away.

"You can"t, Gary," Darkday"s loud sighs seeped from his helmet, "Because you"re weak."

"I knew it… I wasn"t hallucinating," Gary sucked in his breath; looking at the dark skies before closing his eyes, "You… you were there in the training hall."

"I wasn"t Gary," Darkday shook his head, "But one of my clones was."

"Did you hear that, Hannah… Silvie!? I"m not f.u.c.king crazy!"

"Oh, there"s no point in that, Gary," a small chuckle could be heard escaping Darkday"s helmet, "They won"t be able to hear us."

"...Another one of your thousand f.u.c.king abilities."

"No, just telekinesis," Darkday shrugged, before raising his hand and… creating some sort of spherical void circling around his arm, "I have mastered the ability to the point that the application is almost limitless. Light, sound, air— I can control it."

"I didn"t f.u.c.king ask."

"I know. I just wanted to let you know that it is really the only ability I need, Gary. The others are just… parlor tricks, like your power."

"Cla.s.sic Riley," Gary gritted his teeth, "Always roasting people in the calmest voice like a thug."

"Roasting?" Darkday tilted his head, "I can also do that with telekinesis. But the simplest way is to just use the abilities I received from sister."

"Why do you always have a f.u.c.king comeback!?"

"I merely want you to know, Gary…"

And then, all of a sudden, Darkday"s helmet very slowly disintegrated— Riley"s long black hair, flowing with the wind; very soon, however, each strand of his hair just stopped as they remained flowing straight down even with the wind still present.

"...That if you mastered your abilities instead of trying to imitate a themarian, then you might have actually reached your potential. Are you aware that your heat vision is stronger than Silvie"s?"

"...Even you are lecturing me?" Gary could not help but force a chuckle as he looked Riley straight in the eyes.

"No, I am merely stating that your heat vision may very well be your main ability, Gary. Your super strength and any others are just…

…your parlor tricks."

"...What?"

"I noticed it immediately during the first week of our meeting," Riley once again let out a sigh, "I was even contemplating whether or not I should get it."

"..." Gary couldn"t really say anything as the memories of their very first cla.s.s activity surfaced in his mind. It was almost as if it was another life… why did it have to be?

"Enough talk, man," Gary then shook his head, "Let"s just f.u.c.king kill each other."

"Very well," Riley nodded, "But before we do, may I tell you something?"

"f.u.c.k… What now? You really are a villain, you talk too f.u.c.king much."

"You didn"t notice him?" Riley then said as he pointed at Gary, or more specifically, at his waist.

"Huh?" Gary then turned to look at his waist… only to see something climbing out of his pocket.

"!!!"

Gary then immediately swatted whatever it was away, or so he thought— the thing managed to grab onto his hand.

"What… the f.u.c.k?" Gary then said as he saw… a miniature version of Riley handing on his wrist.

"He"s been with you the moment you left the Academy."

"...What?" Gary could really only blink several times as he stared at Little Riley. As soon as their eyes met, however, a very subtle smirk crawled on Little Riley"s face.

"...You"re weak," Little Riley then said.

"You… it was you," Gary"s eyes then quickly widened as he finally realized that it was this little thing that had been whispering in his ears. And before Gary could even know how to react, Little Riley crumbled and withered away.

"A real themarian would have noticed, Gary," Riley then shook his head several times as he let out a loud sigh, "See what I mean about parlor tricks, Gary? They"re just for fun."

"You—"

"Well, shall we get started then?"

Riley"s feet then left the ground; his eyes, slowly looking down at Gary, "Also, there"s actually another thing you should know…

…Golden Fox did not actually step in to save me, Gary."

"...What?" Gary"s eyes quickly trembled as he saw the edges of Riley"s lips very slowly turning upward.

Riley did not even need to say it— the growing smile on his face that was slowly reaching from ear to ear told Gary everything he needed to know.

It has been replaying in his mind over and over again. And over and over again, Gary was asking himself why Chihiro would try to even defend Riley— she didn"t.

Riley…

…used her as a meat shield.

"Riley!"

And with that, the ground beneath Gary"s feet crumbled as he leaped— no, flew straight to Riley. Riley, however, only let out a whispering chuckle as he floated back; his speed, almost exactly the same as Gary"s flight.

"Oh, you can fly now, Gary?" Riley said as he tried to stop himself from chuckling, even covering his mouth as he flew backward. But alas, with how wide his smile was, he wasn"t even hiding anything.

"I can also f.u.c.king kill you now!"

Gary locked his fist as the distance between him and Riley started to shorten. And very soon, there was only a meter of air blocking his path.

"See, Riley!? I am getting stronger by the second!"

"I know, Gary," Riley nodded as he stretched his arms to the side, "Come, let me see the power you have now."

"You don"t need to tell me!" Gary let out a roar as the remaining distance between the two of them disappeared; and as soon as he did so, he let go of his fist and shot it straight towards Riley"s face.

But before it could hit Riley, he suddenly moved to the side.

"Cowa—" And before Gary could finish his words, his fist… demolished an evaniel"s face.

"..." Riley then floated behind Gary; his sighs, whispering into Gary"s ears, "That"s not a way to treat Earth"s guests, Gary."

"!!!"

And all of a sudden, the evaniels that were watching them from afar were now standing beneath them; their eyes, all looking at Gary. Their hair and tattoos were all starting to light up, but before they could do anything—

"Stop!"

Princess Vera appeared,

"All of you, return to your positions! We are only here to observe!"

And as soon as she said that, the evaniels left as quickly as they appeared.

"I don"t appreciate you killing my people," Vera then let out a very long and loud sigh. But instead of looking at Gary—

"We"re not involved in this, Riley. I would like it if it would stay that way."

—she was looking at Riley.

"..." Riley could really only return Vera"s glare, before also letting out a sigh of his own,

"Very well. I will involve you in something else at a later date."

"We will see who is involving who, Riley Ross," Vera winked, before also disappearing and returning to her original position beside Dr. Vella.

"You…" And as soon as she disappeared, Gary"s seething voice once again whispered through the air, "...Why are women just instinctively attracted to you, Riley!? Is that one of your abilities!?"

"I suppose creatures are just inherently attracted to evil, Gary," Riley shrugged.

"Die!" Gary let out a roar that thundered through the entire city; his fist, once again pointed at Riley as he flew towards him…

…or at least that was what he expected to happen.

"Oh, were you trying to fly towards me, Gary?" Riley tilted his head as he just looked at Gary, "I apologize, I didn"t realize."

"S… shut up! I… I"m just not used to flying!"

"Oh, that"s because you"re not actually flying, Gary."

"...What? What are you— Kh!" And before Gary could finish his words, he found his neck floating straight to Riley"s grip.

"I actually wanted it to go on a little longer, but then I realized Aerith wouldn"t really kill you," Riley sighed as his grip on Gary"s neck grew tighter, "Because, like me, she has complete control of her powers. She will be able to neutralize you no matter what I make you do."

"W… what are you saying?"

"I"m saying I lied, Gary. You"re not actually a clown," Riley looked Gary straight in the eyes, "You"re a puppet. Although, I suppose in your case…

…a Puppet Monarch."