Villain Retirement
chapter-1108

[What...? That place is so cool!]

"Right...? Right? I actually couldn't believe they would really give us an entire suite - and look at this view!"

[That... almost looks like paradise!]

[What the—is that Riley and that little person? Wait... where is that place? When Riley and I were in our spacecapade, we didn't visit anything like that! Is that a beach!?]

[Uh, hello? Give me back the phone. Beautiful you may be, I know not who you are... and who even let her in here!?]

[Lucy, don't be rude! That's your aunt Hera.]

[...I don't know her.]

Miss Pepondosovich's request was granted, and they were given a nice suite with a full view of the entire Everywhere. And Hera was right, they even have a man-made beach complete with the waves right outside their patio.

And right now, Miss Pepondosovich was showing it to everyone on the other line. She even had on a two-piece bikini, completely showing her thick muscular thighs and perfectly shaped body. As for Riley, well, he was just sitting there outside with sunglasses on and completely relaxed.

[Pft... Is that Father!?] Lucy could not help but just let out a small snort as he saw Riley seemingly sunbathing in front of the beach, [What is he even doing?]

"You know your Dad, refuses to just wrap it up," Miss Pepondosovich sighed, "But he's actually the one who told me to call you guys - it's about the portal that Enel found in his closet."

[Ah, that... Grandmother! They're asking about the portal!]

Miss Pepondosovich then watched as the screen became chaotic with Lucifer just running,

[Grandmother!]

[What the-!? Can you stop running!?]

[My feet are too free to walk, Aunt Hannah!]

[Ugh... now I realize how lucky I was with Riley.]

[Grandmother! What the-what are you doing here, my dear sister?]

[Being productive, unlike you.]

And finally, after a few seconds of just random things happening on the screen, Lucy handed the phone to Diana who just placed the phone on a nearby table so everyone would be in view - and there, Lucy, Renna, Diana, Nannah, and Riley's adopted daughter, Talia, were on the

screen.

And of course, Lucy truly did not look like he belonged there at all as the three were wearing lab coats, while he was wearing some sort of tuxedo.

"Oh, Renna. You're there as well?" Miss Pepondosovich also placed the phone on top of a table next to Riley before sitting right beside him on the same reclining chair, "Your dad wants to ask about the portal that popped up in Enel's room."

[Good evening, Aunt Miss Pepondosovich, Father,] Renna quickly bowed her head as she greeted the two, [We still have not really made any progress with the portal, but we do know that only Enel could enter it - and he always comes back not even a second after. And...

...are the two of you on a beach?]

"Ah, yes! I'll tour you later," Miss Pepondosovich softly chuckled as she looked around, "Your dad kind of suddenly became a big deal in this place."

[I would be more surprised if he wasn't, Aunt Miss Pepondosovich,] Renna sighed and shook her head.

"That's true, that's true," Miss Pepondosovich also sighed, "Any other thing we need to know about? What about your conversion - is this universe and the new one that Paige created still colliding with each other?"

[Grandmother,] Renna looked at Diana before walking out of the screen.

[Right...] Diana, who seemed busy doing something, looked at the screen while nodding her head, [...We might actually be on to something here. Ahor Zai's system just woke up and rebooted the other day, and she helped us a lot to narrow down the things we need to actually know.]

"Hm?" Riley quickly looked at the phone as soon as he heard Ahor Zai's name, "Is Ahor Zai stable now, Mother?"

[I... am still limiting her features just in case. But Death and Elementia assured me that Machina will not try and use Ahor Zai again... since she is also currently sleeping,] Diana sighed, [But where was I - right. We were thinking of approaching this in a completely different manner...

...at first, we were trying to just pick one universe from the other, but that was not the right mindset at all. The two universes have already worked together for hundreds of years - and this might be irrelevant, since in the grand scale of the universe, a hundred years might as well just be nothing. But still, the fact is that they are already working together - and perhaps instead of just trying to pull them apart...

... we find a way to hold it together.]

"... Will that work?" Miss Pepondosovich just squinted her eyes.

[We don't know yet,] Diana shook her head, [But with Hera, Talia, and the other variants working tirelessly in converting everyone that needs to be converted... we are actually seeing less and less people disappearing. It is, I suppose in layman's terms, helping alleviate the situation and prolonging the end of the entire creation as we know it.]

"Good job, Talia," Riley nodded.

[Thank you, Father,] Talia smiled while raising both of her thumbs.

[I'm still not used to you calling our Father 'Father',] Lucy squinted his eyes as he looked at Talia.

[Lucifer, don't be rude...] Diana sighed, [Your dad was also adopted, but we love him-]

[No, I don't mean it like that,] Lucy shook his head, [I mean like... Talia is technically Hera's variant, and Hera could be considered as one of Father's women, and Talia is their daughter?]

[If you think about it like that,] Talia just let out a small chuckle, [That is probably the least complicated thing about Father's life, no? Has anyone told you about where Father even met me? I was in a domain I created myself.]

[What...? Fuck off,] Lucy quickly covered his mouth as he said that, [Oh no, my vernacular is being affected by all the Aunt Hannah and Nannah. I am... I am cursed!]

[Have you ever been hit by your parents?] Nannah, who was just quietly working there, could not help but point at Lucy, [We can start now if you want!]

[We're... going to go back to work now before everything becomes chaotic,] Diana quickly rushed to get the phone, [I'll also call when-is that Rennalyn?]

"Hm?" Miss Pepondosovich then looked behind her, only to see Riley no longer beside him and there, on the beach, was Riley just floating on the surface of the water... with Renna floating beside her. Miss Pepondosovich's eyes then strayed toward the portal just casually idling there.

[Ah, she opened up a portal somewhere!] Lucy quickly started running to search for the portal, [Find it! I also want to go to the beach in the Unknown!]

[...You should hope Lucy doesn't find the portal,] Diana could really only sigh while shaking her head, [I swear, Riley's children are...]

"Gods," Miss Pepondosovich just shrugged while casually uttering the word, "Gods of the

new world."

[That's... what I'm worried about,] Diana closed her eyes and just winced, [But I suppose they're still young and would grow. But...]

Diana then looked around before just leaving the room entirely, causing Miss Pepondosovich

to also slightly lower the phone instinctively.

[...Lucifer is how do I explain this-]

"Dumb," Miss Pepondosovich said with her eyes completely blank, "I've been with the kid his

entire life, he's dumb."

[Well... yes,] Diana hesitated at first but still nodded, [And not dumb like he's stupid, he's actually a very intelligent kid. But... the other day, okay? He was talking to himself in front of the TV, and then he summoned a shadow clone that emerged from the TV... to strangle

himself.]

"Oh. Yeah... he does that."

[I thought it was very concerning at first knowing Riley's history, and I was going to approach

and help him...] Diana just once again sighed, [...But then he just slapped his clone's hand away and started reprimanding it that its timing was....wrong? He's not... mentally ill at all, he's just... he likes to role play a lot.]

"Hmhm," Miss Pepondosovich nodded while letting out a breath of exhaustion, "Yup, that's him. One time Katrina scolded him, and then he just started going off about unleashing his dark side while crying. He got it from that show he's watching...

...and I think I need to go. It was nice talking to you, Diana."

[Yes. I'll call soon too.]

Miss Pepondosovich's bunny ears perked up as soon as she hung up the phone. She quickly

stood up on the chair before turning to look at their suite - only to see a person inside. The person seemed to be looking for them, and as soon as he saw Miss Pepondosovich outside, he just casually stepped outside while smiling at her.

"Hello," the stranger waved his hand, "I know this came up out of nowhere, but can I interest you in talking about the Order of Nothing? It is fine if you are not, but..."

"Oh?" Miss Pepondosovich then tilted her head to the side as the stranger opened up his coat,

revealing what seemed to be several bombs attached to him.

"...I will blow this entire place up if you do not listen to what I have to say."

"...That's a very aggressive marketing...

...I like it."