Villain Retirement

There were two forces that ultimately kept peace and order throughout the Known Universe. First, were the Guardians— they could be considered to be the ones that are sent first to deal with the threat. They were feared, but at the same time, respected.

And second, the Common Cosmic Military, or as the name they are known, the Lahestia. They were the ones that would prevent any threats from happening in the first place; or if it had already passed, then they were the ones to clean up the mess and make sure that it doesn't happen.

Unlike the Guardians, who had the tendency to go off on their own and decide on their own since they were chosen, the Lahestia were born in the service, making them creatures of absolute order, habit, and obedience.

No matter where they were sent, not even an ounce of complaint or hesitation would be heard from them. And right now, a platoon of them were stationed at one of the planets at the edge of the Known Universe, Hotis 4J. 

But of course, even as creatures of absolute obedience, they still had their own individuality as well as their own personalities, and of course… their own hobbies.

And for Krokan and C'ashir, it just so happened to be spaceships. The two could not be more different from each other; with Krokan belonging to a race that evolved from Amphibians, while C'ashir was from a race that evolved from Simians. But as the two were Lahestia, they grew up as brothers and grew even more closer when they shared the same hobby.

The tension was high in Hotis 4J; even more so now that the one who destroyed the planet was still out there wreaking havoc on multiple planets at the same time. The last time they have probably faced a predicament like this was way before their generation.

But for Krokan and C'ashir, an unexpected variable emerged as they were just monotonously doing their duties— a race ship. And not just any race ship, one of the best that was ever made and definitely the rarest.

Race ships tend to be small and could only fit 1 or 2 people, but this one could hold an entire battalion. Even after thousands of years, it still held its status as the greatest personal race ship to bask the cosmos.

And just to their luck, they were able to board it and even talk to the owner. They didn't even need to check any credentials whatsoever; as judging by the way the female humanoid talked to them about the ship and her knowledge of it, it was clear she had ownership of it.

There was a threat starting to loom across the universe right now, but all the tension they had built up inside just disappeared like that. They didn't really need to board the ship as they could just scan it from the outside with their permission, but they would forever regret it if they didn't at least feel the walls with their bare hands.

And now that they have done so, even if they die the next moment, they wouldn't even mind.

"Leaving so soon?"

And now, it would seem they would be doing just that. Unlike the Guardians who can often be arrogant, the Lahestia takes the time to learn about their mission. And of course, that includes studying everything they know about Riley Ross; his appearance, his language, his known temperament… everything that they could find.

They know how strong the person of interest is this time and would act accordingly if seen. But now that the person of interest was right in front of them…

…how exactly should they act?

"Riley Ross," Krokan was the first to speak. And surprisingly, he let go of the large rifle he was holding as he calmly hopped forward, "Are we speaking to a clone… or the original body?"

"..." Riley Ross's head tilted in response as he heard the frog-like man speaking a language he recognized, "The latter, Mr. Frog."

"!!!" And this time, as Riley's words reached Krokan's tympanums, he quickly turned his entire body to just look at his companion. Unlike the Guardians, who were given the order to actively hunt and kill Riley Ross, they were given the order to keep him in place— not capture him, but just to keep him in place.

They were also aware that Riley was able to instantly create clones of himself, and they knew that he was complacent with questions; that is why he asked what he asked in the first place…

…but to think the original one was now right in front of them.

"What… are you doing on this ship, Riley Ross?" C'ashir also stepped forward; careful not to agitate Riley as he tried his best to question him, and at the same time… buy time.

"This ship belongs to my mother, sir."

"Mother!?" Both C'ashir and Krokan quickly turned their heads back to Aerith, who was already violently shaking her head as she covered her face.

"I… I will change my question, then," C'ashir then immediately calmed himself down as he focused on Riley, "What are you doing here?"

"I am honestly just tagging along, sir," Riley shrugged before just turning around and walking away, "But since I am back in Hotis 4J…

…I would like to finish what my clone started."

And with those words, the inner door closed.

"Wait, where are you going, Riley Ross!?"

Riley, of course, did not answer them as he flew out of the outer door and into the expanse of space. And as soon as he did so, he found himself surrounded by almost a hundred people that wore the same black uniform as C'ashir and Krokan.

None of them had their weapons pointed at Riley, however. No, one could even say that none of them held any sort of hostility against Riley Ross, as they all just floated and moved away as Riley flew by them.

They had strict orders not to engage Riley Ross— their order was only to watch and try to keep him in place, even if he kills one of them.

Fortunately for them, Riley doesn't seem to be even minding them as he just flew closer to Hotis 4J. Everything seemed calm, perhaps too calm.

But of course, this didn't last long as one of the ships that were previously being inspected saw Riley Ross. As someone who has been wreaking havoc throughout the Known Universe, Riley has, of course, gained notoriety.

And in space, when one gains notoriety, one naturally gets a bounty— and right now, as a fresh target with an unusually high bounty, Riley might as well be a walking treasure.

And so, without even the slightest of hesitation and even with the presence of the Lahestia, the ship that was able to detect Riley immediately flew away from the line and shot straight toward him at full speed.

"You… you're mine no—"

And before he could even get a kilometer near Riley, the pilot of the ship as well as his mates found himself suddenly floating in space…

…surrounded by the debris of his ship that was instantly dismantled out of nowhere.