Chapter 5

As our jet soared at unimaginable speeds across the sky, Grace tapped a few buttons on the interface in front of her, and set the jet into autopilot.

"Entering autopilot for destination: Tokyo, Japan." A mechanical voice said through the interface.

Grace tapped on a holographic microphone button and held down on it as she spoke.

"ETA." Grace demanded.

"ETA for arrival to destination: Tokyo, Japan will be 2 hours at our current speed." The mechanical voice replied.

2 hours?! In the last chapter I said we needed to be there in 30 minutes or else it'll backfire!!! Grace could tell I was uneasy about our ETA and turned around, closing the door to the cockpit. After she closed the door she turned to me and put her hands on her lap, letting out a quick sigh.

"You alright?" She asked.

I suppose I should excuse her informality for the time being. I crossed my arms and looked forward out the windshield.

"If my calculations were correct, we needed to be there in 30 minutes if we had any hope of catching Erebos. I can't believe we're going to fail on our very first hunt." I said, clearly upset.

Grace leaned to the side, trying to see my face, concern on her face. I didn't return the gaze, and instead kept looking forward. Seeing my resistance to her gaze, she poked me in the side, which she knows is sensitive.

"Boop!" She said with a giggle as she poked me again.

Upon being poked the second time, I jumped slightly and slapped her hand away. I opened my mouth to shout at her but saw her playful smile and pushed away my annoyed thoughts. She held her hand in the air for a moment, ready to poke me again, but before she could, I quickly shot my hand out and poked her in the side.

"Boop." I gruffly replied, feeling triumphant over her.

Her jaw dropped slightly in playful surprise. I shrugged my shoulders and looked forward again, trying to throw her off for my next attack. Just when she thought my guard was dropped, I quickly turned and poked her stomach, making her flinch in surprise.

"Boop 2, Electric Boogaloo!!! Gotcha!" I shouted triumphantly.

She has no shot of beating me at this poking ga-

In a millisecond blur, nearly 100 different pokes landed on my torso. What the hell?! I jumped violently out of my seat and hit the floor, feeling my sensitive sides to see if I was dead. Who could have poked me that fast?! When I was sure I wasn't dead, I looked up to see Grace giggling to herself, and flexing her right hand. That little stinker! I didn't know she was that fast.

"You're….much faster than I expected you to be." I mumbled to myself.

As if expecting me to say that, Grace leaned forward and booped me on the nose playfully, her smile completely pure.

"That, my friend, is what she said." Grace giggled.

Someone said something about me?

"That's what who said- Hold on, what BITCH is talking CRAP about ME?!" I replied, confused.

Grace sassily spun back around to face the front of the cockpit. Is she challenging me? Ohhhh she better not be challenging me. I stood up slowly and ever so quietly and moved sneakily towards her, trying not to get her attention. Y'know, back in one of the 155 elementary schools I attended, they called me 'Ezio Jr.' because of how sneaky I was. When I was right behind her, I quickly wrapped my arms around her stomach and lifted her out of the seat.

"C'mere you!" I playfully shouted, picking her up.

Grace laughed and shrieked as she tried to escape my grasp, eventually making me lose my balance. As I toppled over, my grip loosened and she landed on top of me, so we were face to face on the ground. We both continued to laugh for a few moments as we met each other's gaze. Her laughter died down and soon became just a steady set of deep breaths, which were in perfect sync with my own. I couldn't tell, but I felt like her face drew closer to mine, inch by inch. She rested a hand on my white trench coat, and gripped it slightly. While she did this, her gaze never left mine.

"Wayne, I-"

The sliding door opened and Oblivion, who was holding a bag of popcorn, somehow, smugly leaned against the door frame.

"So…" he ate a single popcorn. "...are you two like, married, or what? Can you just kiss already, EVERYONE knows you two like each other…" he ate another one "...don't worry, I won't say anything."

I looked up at Oblivion and then back at Grace, and quickly pushed her off of me. As I stood up, I began to brush myself off, and Grace did the same.

"What is it, Oblivion, and where the heck did you get popcorn from? I made sure to remove all food from the jet." I asked, annoyed.

Way to interrupt us Oblivion. No really. I don't think I could have lasted another second in that awkward situation.

…

What? Don't give me that look, I already told you, I don't like her, it's your fault for thinking of it differently. I walked over to Oblivion and smacked the bowl of popcorn out of his hands. His face fell into a surprised Pikachu face the second the bowl hit the floor, and to show him that I was serious, I turned around instantly and walked back to the co-pilot seat. While Oblivion tried to gather up the spilled popcorn, Grace turned to me from her seat.

"So, why do we have a time limit to get there? I mean, this IS Erebos's lair, is it not?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

True, I don't think I ever explained to her what the exact reason for the rush is. To be honest, I think there's a lot I haven't explained to her, but I'll have to worry about that later. I turned to face her, and crossed my arms.

"Erebos has multiple lairs across the entire world. His more prominent and powerful base is located right under the heart of Tokyo City, Japan. More importantly though, if you remember 4 years ago, when we had henchbots plant miniature C4's under every city in Japan?" I asked her, pressing down my trench coat, trying to get the wrinkles out.

Grace cupped her chin, trying to remember. It was true, 4 years ago, I had proposed that due to Japan's technological advancements, and plan to institute a Hero HQ in Tokyo, I had Grace build me an army of robots, known as henchbots, to plant 100,000 or so C4's under the city of Tokyo. Luckily for them, the plan to build the HQ failed due to the Government of Japan rejecting the proposal to spread the Universal Hero Agency into their country. This Agency was founded by the United Nations in order for each allied nation to gain the ability to deploy heroes from their own respective country into another foreign country. So to bring it back, pretty much, I didn't set off the C4's. After a moment of trying to remember I waved my hand dismissively.

"Pretty much, the only way to detonate the bombs are to do it manually. The only problem with this is that Erebos has the bombs carefully guarded." I said finally.

Grace stared at me, waiting for me to continue. I have no idea why she would want me to do that, because I was finished talking.

"So let me get this straight, right?" Oblivion chipped in from behind us, "You're telling me the reason we were rushing is because you wanted to trick the readers into believing there were actual stakes to this hunt? That's low bro, even for you." He said, throwing the popcorn he gathered out the window.

Who is he calling low? Last I checked I was taller than him by like, 3 centimeters! Not funny? Ok. Anyway, I spun around to face him.

"No, but if he has it under his control for another 30 minutes, the way the bombs work, they will no longer be ours to use, and they will only be his to control." I replied angrily.

As I glared at Oblivion, a hard punch drilled into my arm. I recoiled from the strike slightly. This wasn't the first time I had been punched, so it didn't really feel like a punch. Yeah it didn't hurt at-

"Ow! What the hell?!" I shouted in agony, gripping my arm.

"Dammit, Wayne! You built a bomb sentient enough to change whose master it answers to?!" Grace shouted back at me.

"You were busy! I didn't want to bother you by asking for you to build me a freaking BOMB!!!"

"Aww how SWEET OF YOU! Don't act like you don't already stop me from working to build you something."

Damn. She has a point. I groaned and crossed my arms, turning my chair away from her.

"Oh no you don't! You have no right to throw a tantrum!" She said, spinning my chair back around.

Before Grace could yell at me again, the hologram on the panel lit up and a map of Tokyo City appeared. All three of us turned our heads to face the panel. Could it be?!

"Welcome your liege, to Tokyo, Japan. Home of the samurai." The mechanical voice said.

We made it in time! And with 23 minutes to spare too! I clapped my hands together and stood up, looking at everyone else. It's time to begin the first hunt!!! As the jet hovered over the city, Oblivion and Grace started to put on parachutes, while I straightened out my clothes. Oblivion noticed I didn't have a parachute on and cocked his head slightly.

"No parachute?" He asked.

I walked towards the side door of the jet and took a deep breath in. The fact that he believes an awesome villain like I needs a pathetic parachute to dive is incredibly offensive. I slammed my fist onto a red button on a control panel next to the door, and both doors started to open slowly. As they opened, wind quickly blew in, making my trench coat flow behind me. I'm such a badass. Before I jumped, I looked over my shoulder at Oblivion and sneered.

"Even now, you still underestimate me, Oblivion. I wouldn't be the world's greatest villain if I didn't have a big, cool entrance." I said, trying to compete with the loudness of the wind.

I looked over the edge of the bottom of the jet's door frame and saw just how far away from the ground we were. I'm not afraid of heights, and I probably never will be, but I will say that I hesitated for a moment when I looked down. Screw it, I am Cosmineum, the all powerful! A silly fall won't stop me from my epic conquest. As I gathered myself into a cool pose, Grace came up behind me, and with one hand, pushed me out of the jet.

"SHHHIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiii-"

Oblivion looked at Grace with a stunned expression, which she replied with a shrug and fell backwards from the jet. Oblivion smacked his head and cussed out the situation in German, and jumped. As we fell from the sky and through the clouds, I pointed my face directly towards the ground, and put my arms to my side allowing for me to fall faster. Erebos…I'm coming for you, you bastard.

************************************

12 years ago…

"Wayne, that was the last student. What should we do now?" Grace asked, wiping the blood of her last victim from her cheek.

With madness in his eyes, Wayne flipped around the pair of scissors he held in his hands with finesse. I stayed hidden under my desk, not wanting to get my own guts ripped out by this piece of crap. As I looked around at the carnage surrounding me, the intestines and blood of my classmates stunk the room with both an incorrigible scent and a horrific feeling.

"Are you sure they're all dead? Not one is still alive and breathing? A witness would be most unpleasant." Wayne asked Grace.

"Yes, my lord, I am sure." She replied submissively.

My lord? That's what he is to her? After he murdered your friends and peers?! How dare he force her to be his slave! With angry intent, I quickly slid out from under the desk and drop-kicked Wayne, making him fall backwards onto his ass. Grace locked eyes with mine and a glint of the same madness as Wayne's resonated in her gaze. This damn kid has this poor woman trapped under his command! As Grace charged forward at me, Wayne quickly stood up and blocked her with his arm. She stopped instantly upon seeing his arm.

"Well, well, well. Eren Scott was it? I'm surprised you managed to escape my purification so easily." Wayne snickered at me.

Was this really the same puny kid who got made fun of by Galaxus on the first day of school? He seemed so much more…evil now. I put my hands up, ready for a fight, in which Wayne simply laughed. Damn him!

"Eren please, let's not fight, it's clear you're outmatched. Join us, and we will promise you rewards and prizes beyond your wildest dreams." Wayne gently spoke.

His mouth twisted and contorted with every word he spoke. This kid was no longer a human…but a monster. No matter what way you looked at him, he was a demon and nothing more. I clenched my fists, which were trembling with fear and fury. I must save Grace from his clutches. This was the only thing I thought while staring him down.

"I don't plan to fight you, Wayne. I only plan to stall you until the heroes arrive! They will put you away for life, you bastard!" I shouted with as much confidence as possible.

Wayne took a moment to take in what I had said, letting each word soak and marinate inside of his mind. After a moment, he started to chuckle softly, placing a hand on his face like he was trying to cover it. As his laughter continued to grow louder, his hand slid up onto his forehead, pushing his hair out of the way of his face. His face. His damned face. The moment his eyes met mine, every ounce of confidence slowly drained from my body, rendering me paralyzed in fear. His pupils had changed into those of a serpent's. Along with this new change, his eye color shifted to a more yellowish-gold, which allowed for his pupil to be so much more definite. His grin curled into a large, horrific smile.

"Heroes?! You think heroes are going to show up? Did you not see what happened on the first day? Heroes are not humanity's savior. Heroes are not our idols. Heroes are monsters dressed in spandex who use unrighteous powers as a means of destructive weaponry." Wayne laughed loudly.

He's wrong. He…he HAS to be wrong! A hero will show up to save the day, I just know it. Hearing his words, I growled and mustered back up my courage. To my left, out of my peripheral vision, I noticed a broken off pipe piece. Without hesitation, I quickly moved and grabbed the pipe, gripping it like a sword.

"YOU'RE A MONSTER!!!" I shouted.

No other words were in my mind at the moment. The more I gripped the pipe, the more my anger grew. Wayne glanced over his shoulder at Grace, and twirled two fingers in a circle, signaling it was time to go. Without another thought Grace turned and ran out through the broken, burning hole in the wall. Wayne looked back at me and sneered, his eyes narrow, his posture completely calm. Without another thought, we began to circle each other, neither of us making a move.

"Me? A monster? You MUST be mistaken, for I am a true hero. I am one that doesn't use a mask to lie and deceive those who look up to me. I don't need superpowers to prove my ultimate might, I only need my wits and my undying desire to end the viciously unjust reign of heroes, once and for all!" Wayne said.

"Your monologs don't scare me, monster. I will be the one to save Grace from your diabolical control, and the one to get vengeance for everyone you've killed!" I shouted back at him.

Even though my words were confident, I was not. My legs were trembling and my posture was tense. To stand against someone who calmly and cooly murdered over 150 super powered students with ease HORRIFIES me. The fact that he murdered other children HORRIFIES me. The more I let my fear grow, the faster my brain started to demand me to run away. I gripped the pipe harder, and intensified my glare on Wayne, who returned my glare with a smile.

"I can smell your fear. Your pain. Your suffering. Your…romanticism for my minion. And if I'm being honest, it reeks. If you're so sure on trying to save her, then do it. Stop dawdling and come at me already!" He snickered.

With rage in my soul, and determination in my heart, I rushed at Wayne, holding the pipe with all my strength. Wayne grinned devilishly and side stepped my first swing. As I pulled myself back to swing again, I noticed that he had put his hands in his pockets. He was disrespecting me. DAMN HIM! I swung again at him, but he casually dodged the swing, and no matter how fast I swung, he continued to simply just casually dodge each one. Sweat started to bead and gather on my forehead. My energy was drained and I was exhausted, but still, I swung, and still he dodged like it was the easiest thing he had ever done.

"FUCK YOU!!!" I roared at the top of my lungs.

I pulled my arms back, and with all my remaining might, which I pumped all of my adrenaline into, I swung forward. Without looking, Wayne grabbed the pipe with one hand. At the sight of this, my body went cold. With a deep breath, he glanced at me with the most menacing gaze ever known. There was no emotion in his face, in his gaze, his posture, or in his heart.

"Look, Eren, let's be honest, there was never a chance in hell you could have ever beaten me. Even if your pathetic father WAS the commander of the most powerful army in Japan." He darkly said.

How did…how did he know about my father?! And what the hell does he mean pathetic?! My father, who taught me 5 years worth of sword combat, died from being-

"...tortured until he blew his own lungs out from screaming in agony. How utterly pathetic. Anyway, I digress. The time for play is over now, so I'll make this quick." He stoically stated.

In less than a millisecond, a sharp pain, which exploded into horrible agony, shot through my chest. Blood erupted from inside of me, and spilled out from my mouth. As I coughed up blood, I looked down to see Wayne's arm plunged deep into my chest. His arm was elbow deep, and I could feel his entire arm inside of me. I grabbed and clawed at his arm, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't pull my arm out. As I tried, Wayne gently placed a hand on the side of my face.

"Shhhh. Shhhh. I apologize for having to resort to this, but you left me no choice. We could have been such a good pair in villainy. Maybe we will see each other again, in death." He gently spoke, like he was trying to sooth a child.

"Even in…death…I-I'll kill.." I coughed up blood, "..kill you." I strained through my words.

My lungs were starting to fill up with blood, and I was losing oxygen. Luckily, he missed my heart, but I have no idea if he knew that he did or not. Wayne slowly pulled his arm out my chest. It felt like he was pulling it out for an eternity, and each second agonizing pain shot through my entire body. I started to scream in pain, but Wayne covered my mouth, continuing to shush me.

"Scream too much and you might end up like your sad old man. Try not to think about the pain too much, because it'll all be over soon." Wayne mocked.

Before he could finish pulling his arm out, I fell unconscious for who knows how long.

Present day…

Erebos's eyes opened suddenly, and he saw that he was sitting in the middle of a Japanese style dojo temple. He carefully looked down at his chest to see that a skin graft was directly in the center.

"That same dream again…" he said quietly to himself.

Kai, a man dressed in samurai robes, entered the dojo quickly. Erebos continued to look at his chest as Kai entered.

"Lord Erebos. We have news from the scouts that a villain has entered our territory. Should we activate the defenses?" Kai asked.

Erebos glared down at his scar. He knew exactly who had dropped from the sky to pay him a visit. Erebos sighed and stood up, making Kai bow instantly upon Erebos standing.

"There will be no need. I have trained every day for the past 12 years, waiting for this moment. Lead him to my temple, for we will end his so-called 'righteousness', once and for all." Erebos stated, pulling a 6 foot long katana out of thin air.

With fury in his eyes, Erebos flipped and twirled the katana around with finesse, then jabbed it straight into the ground, resting both hands on the bottom of the hilt. Kai bowed again, and quickly made his way out of the room. It was true, for 12 long years...Erebos, formerly known as Eren, has trained hard in preparation for a rematch with Wayne. Flashbacks of his first confrontation with Wayne sparked on and off as he thought more about the upcoming rematch.

"Wayne…I'm coming for you, you bastard." Eren growled under his breath.