Optimistic Game Chapter 82

Two 10k+ chapters back to back :>

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Edited by: Priapus

– Ruby –

Standing beside her older sister, Ruby curiously watched over their lover as he added the finishing touches to his newest machine. The incubator he’d promised to make for Yang’s dragon egg, measured with its shape and size in mind.

After all, the blond was pretty much obligated to stay in the mansion and take care of the egg until he could make this machine. Mainly because it required a supply of mana from its caretaker every six hours, that caretaker being Yang. And Yang couldn’t exactly take the egg with her to Beacon.

Yang took this very seriously. She refused to leave the mansion any more than an hour and would take the egg with her everywhere she went. With how her sister referred to the dragon egg, this might as well have been a maternity leave for her. None acknowledged that fact, but Ruby was certain that the rest of Wildberry thought the same. It was adorable, but it also made Ruby a little jealous.

Not in the sense that her sister didn’t have to go to school. Ruby didn’t have to go to school either. No, Ruby was jealous of something else that she would never voice out loud. Otherwise, she’d die from embarrassment despite it being one of her greatest desires, up there with being a hero.

Just a year ago, she’d had zero interest in marrying and having kids. She used to think it was ‘icky’ even. It wasn’t until Mr. tall, bright, and handsome had shown up that she started getting those thoughts. But she digressed. It wasn’t the time to ask for something like that.

“Alright. I think it’s done.” Reid said, glancing back at Yang. “Get the egg and put it in there, and I’ll show you how it works. Bring a blanket while you’re at it. That yellow one specifically.”

As her sister went to bring her baby dragon, Ruby leaned to the side to get a proper look at the machine. It took the shape of a big glass cylinder with a small button under it attached to a circular outlet on the ground, connected together with a wire as thick as her arm. The whole device was stationary as Reid took a few minutes to set it in Yang’s room.

“Here,” Yang said as she returned with the dragon egg as well as the specified blanket. “Why the yellow one?”

“Because it has your scent. When the egg hatches, it’ll be the first thing it smells.” Reid said as he pushed the button, which made the glass cylinder open up. “It’s not anything crucial for its development, but it’ll help the baby dragon calm down in case you’re not around when it hatches.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Yang said, putting the blanket and the egg together. “So then what do I have to do?”

“Right. Well, it’s nothing complicated if that’s what you’re worried about.” Reid said as he pushed the button again, taking out a big empty dust crystal from his dimensional storage. “This crystal is specifically created for you to use. What you’ll do is fill it up with your mana about every week, and it’ll act in your place in warming the egg and giving it magic. Basically a storage.”

“It lasts for a whole week? Wow.” Ruby whistled. That was impressive. Probably.

“How do I fill it up?” Yang questioned.

“Just throw spells at it until you’re out of mana,” Reid answered, putting the crystal over the outlet, which suddenly glowed brightly. The empty crystal then began floating, surrounded by a faint red glow. “No big spells. Only gentle streams of fire until you feel exhausted.”

“Got it.” The blond nodded. Reid and Ruby stepped back as Yang extended her arms at the crystal, and with open palms, released a small surge of flames at it. “Like this?”

“Perfect.” Reid smiled. “Better than I expected, even. Your focus has vastly improved from what I last saw.”

Even Ruby noticed. Although the spell Yang was casting was nothing explosive or flashy, it was still nothing to scoff at, as if her sister was concentrating and compacting her spells to be less destructive but just as powerful.

“I’ve been practising,” Yang responded with a proud smirk. “Turns out magic is a whole lot easier when you don’t have much on your mind.”

Real smooth, sis. Ruby thought.

“You’re right. Magic is about 70% mental power.” Reid agreed, her comment’s other meaning going over his head. “Being physically active and practicing helps a lot, but it’s mostly in the mind.”

“So does that mean the smarter you are, the more magic you have?” Ruby asked with a tilt of her head.

“I mean, that also kind of helps, but mental power doesn’t just mean intelligence.” Her boyfriend replied. “There are other factors like emotional and mental stability, mental fortitude, and willpower.”

“It’s also genetic, isn’t it?” Yang pointed out. “I remember you mentioning that during one of your lessons.”

“Yup. If your parents are two regular civilians who never used magic in their lives, then more often than not, you’ll be born with an average or below-average mana pool. There are a few outliers here and there, but it’s rare.” He explained. “If you have one wizard parent, then you should be born with a larger pool. If you have two archwizards for parents, then not only would you have an extraordinary mana reservoir, but you’d be born with tremendous willpower.”

“So there’s some luck involved,” Ruby sighed. Then a wide smirk stretched across her face. “But with enough hard work, even a low-class warrior can defeat the prince of all saiyans!”

“Hell yeah!” Yang cheered.

“Well said.” Reid agreed. “That’s the kind of mindset that turns you into a magical powerhouse. Never lose sight of it, alright?”

“Way ahead of you.” Ruby giggled.

As that exchange ceased, Yang stopped her spell and exhaled deeply. She held her head in slight discomfort, but because of her, the empty crystal was now burning a fiery color. The thick wire then began glowing with a similar hue, transferring her mana to the incubator.

“Whew, now that’s one way to work out,” Yang said, recovering very quickly as she stretched her arms before looking at Reid. “So?”

“You’re pretty much done,” Reid told her after he finished inspecting the crystal. “This will supply the egg with enough mana for about ten days. Even more than I thought. All because of your hard work.”

“Aw, shucks.” The blond giggled. “Wasn’t all that tough. Then I’m free to go now?”

“Yup. You can go back to your team if you want.” He nodded. “Just keep in mind to come back and do this again every ten days.”

“Great!” She said, tightly embracing Reid and giving him a kiss. “I’ll go catch up with them now, but I’m down for a quickie if you are.”

Reid looked visibly tempted as Yang very casually lifted her shirt up to show him her bouncing breasts. Her sister had zero shame— doing this right in front of Ruby, too?

Just because Ruby would’ve done the same in her place didn’t mean Yang could. She needed to set an example for her younger sister.

“I’d really love to, but I have a meeting right now, Yang.” He said, looking as if he was in pain for rejecting her. “Maybe when I come back.”

“Not even a blowjob?”

“Sorry.”

“Shame.” The blond, not bothering to fix her shirt, shrugged and smirked. “And here I thought you’d love to fertilize my egg.”

Even Ruby blushed at that comment. Hearing her sister super casually ask for something Ruby didn’t have the courage to bring up was a little frustrating and equally hot. As for Reid, he had it much worse as his patience took critical damage. He seemed on the verge of saying ‘Fuck the meeting’ before bending her sister over the bed.

It didn’t help that his third leg was currently poking his pants.

“…Another time, maybe.” But he barely prevailed as he fixed her shirt for her to avoid any more temptation. “Go on. Train with the girls. There’s a tournament you have to worry about.”

“Oh, alright.” Yang giggled, this time giving him a much more innocent kiss on the cheek. “Thanks again, Reid. Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Yang then waved and exited the room, leaving Ruby alone with Reid, who sighed in exasperation.

“I don’t know what’s more frightening. The fact that she said something like that so casually,” Reid said. “Or the fact that she felt 100% serious about it.”

She was serious?! Ruby’s face went even redder.

“I should probably go now.” He added, glancing at Ruby. “And you need to go train with them, Rubes. You’ve been holed up here way too long. They might leave you in the dust, y’know.”

“Yeah…” Ruby shuffled awkwardly. “But I wanna train with you.”

“I get that, but you know I’m busy right now,” Reid replied. “And you still have to train.”

Ruby wanted to argue with that, but decided against it. There were more pressing matters at hand.

“You’re right.” She nodded, making him smile. “I can’t be lazy anymore.”

“Good.” He patted her on the head. “I’m glad you understand.”

As Reid walked away, he couldn’t make it more than two steps before Ruby grabbed him by the hand. She tried her best to hide her true intentions as she gave him a smile.

“Ah, I forgot to ask you something,” Ruby said. “Do you remember that huge guy you brought to the mansion? Eero Delmar? Is it okay if I meet him sometime soon?”

“Huh?” He blinked. “Why would you want to meet him?”

It’s now or never. Ruby thought.

“…Well, isn’t he your dad?” She pointed out, making his eyes widen in shock. Ruby gave him a disarming, innocent smile. “Why do you look so surprised? Don’t you remember? You gave me that book about Leviathans.”

At that, Reid relaxed.

“Right…” He said.

“So can I meet him?” Ruby asked again. “You know my dad, so it’s only fair if I introduce myself to yours, right?”

“Y-yeah… I guess.” Reid said, rubbing his neck.

He seemed hesitant, but not entirely suspicious of her. Either Ruby had become better at omitting truths, or Reid’s current ‘state’ made him that much worse at sensing intent. It was probably both. Still, this was good news. It meant he wasn’t unwilling.

“He’s not in Teralos, is he?”

“Nah, he’s in Remnant.” He confirmed, making Ruby internally celebrate. “He’s in an underwater base I made.”

“Great!” Ruby giggled, hugging him and using her puppy eyes on him. “So can I meet him? Pretty please?”

Reid hesitated, thinking about it for a few moments before answering.

“Alright.” He sighed. “I’ll drop by later and tell him you want to meet him.”

“Yay! You’re the best, Reid!” She said, giving him a big smooch on the lips. “I promise, I won’t embarrass myself.”

“Yeah, cuz I’ll be there to make you won’t.” He rolled his eyes. This made Ruby freeze. Shit. How am I gonna ask him what’s wrong with Reid if Reid is there too? “And one more thing, Ruby.”

“Yeah?” Ruby blinked. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t call him my dad. Please.” He told her, making a very odd request. “He’s not a bad person, but our relationship is… very complicated.”

That raised several red flags in Ruby’s head.

“What do you mean?”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.” He reiterated. “Let’s just leave it at that, alright? Please.”

Ruby frowned in concern and slowly nodded. She didn’t want to push her luck too much. She’d scored big getting Reid to set up a meeting between them, and she was sure she could find an opportunity to speak with his dad in private. She didn’t need to risk it.

“Okay.”

“Thanks, Ruby.” He smiled and hugged her again. “I love you so much, you have no idea.”

“I love you, too.” She said. “…Reid?”

“Yes?”

Ruby hesitated, knowing it was probably futile, but she had to. She needed to tell him.

“You know I’m always here for you, right?” She said, gently running a hand through his hair. “That no matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side. I’ll always love you.”

He didn’t say a word, but his body language conveyed discomfort. She noticed how his muscles tensed and his shoulders stiffened. It was painfully clear to her that he struggled to accept the comfort and support offered to him, his fierce stubbornness keeping him at arm's length from those who genuinely cared.

She felt a pang of frustration mixed with sympathy; his refusal to lean on others made the moments of connection between them all the more difficult. But underneath all that, Ruby felt a sense of longing— a mere sliver of it. Gratitude for her. 

And it was all the more reason to try her damndest to make him accept her help.

“I’m fine, Ruby.” He responded after a while.

“I know.” She nodded and pulled away, knowing that pressing him now wouldn’t be a good idea. “Just… keep that in mind, okay? I love you, so so much.”

“Mhm.” He hummed, his confident smile returning. “I know you girls always have my back.”

Of course, he knew. The problem was his refusal to rely on them.

“I’ll be off now.” He said, kissing her on the forehead. “I better not come back and see you getting lazy, alright?”

“Aye aye, captain!” Ruby saluted.

With one last embrace, Reid then left the room and, soon, the mansion, going to his meeting. She didn’t know what for, but Ruby now had a meeting of her own. Reid probably wouldn’t like her telling everyone about what had happened here, but he seriously needed an intervention. If it was ultimately for his own good, then Ruby would be okay to be hated by Reid.

Even if it tore her heart to shreds.

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– Roman –

It had been months since his last meeting with the Titan Slayer, and for good reason. The guy didn’t care all that much about the underworld unless it had something to do with destroying the Pig Emperor and his entire slave trade. But there hadn’t been much activity with Piggy going off the grid in fear of the Black Phantom, whom Roman highly suspected was just Reid himself.

It just made sense to him. He’d been racking his brain about how a random guy was capable of killing and defeating some of the underworld’s heavy hitters. Mostly the drugged warriors from Bloodhound, but that was still something to consider. One of those could take on S-rank Hunters, and he’d torn apart a group of them on his own.

The only one feasibly capable of doing such a thing was the Titan Slayer, who went and kept killing nature’s most powerful monsters left and right. Reid Astera was a terrifying monster that nobody in the history of Remnant could match. Astera had said that the Black Phantom worked for him, but that was probably a lie in hindsight. Anyone with his reputation would try to protect his other identity.

Though Roman saw no need for him to be doing that anymore. Astera was being revered as a literal god by a considerable percentage of the population. Yes. He wasn’t just a hero to the public anymore— he’d achieved godhood with them. Honestly? Roman was starting to think the same. No mortal could come close to achieving what he’d accomplished.

Was he gonna start worshipping Reid? Oh, hell no. God or not, Roman ultimately only worked for himself. He was willing to work with others, but only if it benefited him, and right now, that meant working with the Titan Slayer. Yes. With. Not under.

…Naturally, Roman also had enough self-preservation to not cross the guy that could probably wipe out entire kingdoms without breaking a sweat, so even if he was stuck working with Astera forever, then so be it. Contrary to what most of his associates believed, his greed did indeed have a limit.

Astera could control the underworld if he wanted to. As long as Roman lived comfortably in wealth with his own pool of cash, he was a happy man. Really, it wasn’t like he wanted much out of life. He’d only turned to crime because he’d been poor most of his life, figured he was good at it, and found it thrilling, then continued until he was one of Vale’s biggest kingpins.

No sad backstory here, folks.

The same unfortunately couldn’t be said for his partner, who was very eager to meet the Titan Slayer. Neo was many things— a skilled assassin, an intimidating loan shark, and a very good thief. But unlike him, she loved the thrill a little too much, thus lacking similar levels of self-preservation.

With her sharing the same suspicion that the Titan Slayer was indeed the Black Phantom, she was always thrilled to see him. To her, a beloved hero like him partaking in shady business like theirs was beyond intriguing. To her, he was more than an idealistic moron. He was ambitious and intelligent.

To control a kingdom, you need to have a footing and great influence in both worlds. He understood that. And Neo liked that about him.

Now, Roman wouldn’t admit this to anyone, but he did love Neo like she was his own daughter. He’d known her since she’d been a little girl, after all. In fact, he’d trained her in the art of thievery, and with a Semblance like hers, she was a natural at it.

He didn’t particularly hate the Titan Slayer. Like Neo, he did find the guy fascinating, only to a lesser extent. But he didn’t trust Reid Astera either— after all, what guarantee did Roman have that he wouldn’t just throw them in prison after dealing with Piggy? What if he personally wanted to rule the underworld? What if Black Phantom was a separate entity, and he was the one Reid Astera trusted the most to handle things here?

Lots of questions, but no answers. It was both frustrating and a little worrying. Neo, on the other hand, didn’t let these very valid concerns bother her.

But he digressed. The reason he was thinking about Reid Astera today was that they had a meeting. The little weird wood golem had finally acted after months of inactivity, telling Roman that the Titan Slayer wanted to see him. Naturally, it was because the Vytal Festival was right around the corner, and that’s when Piggy would open his grandiose and largest slave market in the world.

To say he was nervous would’ve been an understatement. But they should be fine as long as he played it cool. After all, he did have some info on Piggy, which was his saving grace. It had comet the risk of being caught by him a few times, but Piggy wouldn’t do shit to Roman. After all, that would be giving Astera and the Black Phantom a big lead on him.

Waiting by his office, Roman exhaled a puff of smoke from his mouth, tapping his cigar above the ashtray on the desk. He rested his legs next to the ashtray, with Neo dangling hers as she sat on the corner edge, a bored look on her face. Then again, Mr. Titan Slayer was taking his time. They’d been here for a while.

Eventually, though, the door opened, and in walked the man of the hour. Roman immediately noticed a few things about Astera as soon as he entered the office, mostly about his appearance. First of all, he seemed a little taller than he’d been the last time they met, which was saying something.

His hair was also a little longer. Still slicked back, but it reached down to his neck. New style or something? Whatever. That wasn’t as interesting as what his face showed. Despite his neutral expression – which was one hell of a resting bitch face anyway — he seemed almost… gray.

His eyes didn’t glow as much as they used to. Granted, the kid was ambitious and well aware of how the world worked, but he had seemed way more idealistic before. Had Roman just been imagining it? Had he just grown up or something? He did look older…

As soon as Reid sharply glanced at him, Roman swiftly decided to keep those comments to himself.

“Ah, there he is. The Greatest Titan Slayer in history.” Roman said, putting his legs down as he greeted Reid. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? How’s my favorite business partner doing?”

Neo got off the desk and approached him with a smirk. Reid didn’t react in a way either of them expected, as he patted the MUCH shorter girl on the head like she was a small child, even though she was older than he was. Roman found the interaction a little funny, but as for Neo, she smacked his hand away and pouted.

“Well enough,” Reid responded. “Can’t really complain.”

“Of course.” Roman snorted. “I doubt a hero like you could have bad days anyway.”

“Heh. It’s not all that cracked up to be.” The Titan Slayer revealed. “It’s a lot more work than you’d expect.”

“Sure, but you have money, you’re loved by everyone, and all women throw themselves at you.” The Silver Fox replied as he pointed at Neo. “She’s just proving my point.”

Neo turned around to face him and blew a raspberry. Though, for some reason, Roman’s response made Reid frown slightly.

“It’s not that simple.” He said.

Roman paused and raised a brow, but instead of going down that path, he decided to drop it.

“You’re right. We’re in completely different worlds— I’m a petty thief, and you’re a worldwide hero. Closer to a god for some, really. What do I know, right?” He shrugged. “But that’s enough small talk. Please, take a seat.”

Reid did so, taking the chair in front of Roman’s desk. Neo, instead of doing the sensible thing and taking the other chair, sat on the armrest of Reid’s, throwing the Hero of Vale suggestive smirks and winks. This girl…

Roman ignored it for now and focused on the business at hand.

“So, the Vytal Festival is right around the corner, and dear ol’ Piggy’s finally made a move,” Roman said, taking a file from the desk drawer and giving it to Reid. “Here’s everything my men and I have managed to find. To tell the truth, this wasn’t easy.”

“You’ll be compensated,” Reid promised, looking over the papers. “Most importantly, you found where he’s doing the auction, right?”

“Ayyup.” Roman exhaled a cloud of smoke. “All in there. Though my honor as a thief demands I warn you about one thing.”

“Hm?” The Titan Slayer blinked, glancing up at Roman.

“There’s a big possibility that we’ve been fed false information.” The Silver Fox said, leaning forward. “Piggy is a clever little bastard. Before you showed up, he was utterly untouchable, and now he’s a lot more on guard.”

“Let me worry about that,” Reid responded with a snort, flipping through the file. “…Huh. So he’s doing it near the border to Vacuo.”

“Again, it could be fake.” Roman reiterated. “Wouldn’t want to rely on this entirely.”

Reid closed his eyes, which puzzled the older man for a few moments before the Titan Slayer opened them again.

“…No, it isn’t. It lines up with everything on my end.” He said. Roman had no idea what that meant. On his end? Was he investigating too? “Then again, it’s unlikely he’d be there.”

“You don’t say?” Roman raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think so?”

Reid glanced up at him, studying the thief’s expression before revealing something Roman didn’t expect.

“Pig is one of the councilmen.” He said, making Roman’s eyes widen as Neo’s had. “I don’t know which, but the process of elimination leaves us only with two suspects. Ivory Roux and Valentine Rapha.”

“And you’re confident?” Roman questioned. “Big claim to be making, Mr. Hero.”

Reid didn’t respond, but Neo did instead as she texted something on her scroll, showing it to them.

‘I believe him. We knew Piggy had considerable political power way before this. Most of his subordinates never stay long in prison.’

“You do make a point.” Her surrogate father said. “But a councilman? That’s the highest authority in Vale. That ain’t considerable political power— that’s almost all-powerful politically speaking.”

Very few dwarf them in that regard. The council of another kingdom, which only rivals them, the King of Vale, and the man sitting right in front of Roman. 

“The Pig will be busy with the Vytal Festival itself. That’s why he won’t be there for the auction.” Reid explained. “The auction is ultimately just a bait, which I am planning to take anyway. There will be slaves there that need to be freed.”

Roman noticed the use of ‘I’ instead of referring to the Black Phantom. He didn’t know if Reid had slipped or if he simply didn’t care if Roman figured out his other identity, but he kept it to himself anyway.

Very interesting.

“So that means you’re planning to use the law to your advantage, huh? They wouldn’t be able to speak against you even if you try to investigate them, and once you find evidence, it’s straight to jail for them.” Roman realized, grin widening. “They’re expecting the Black Phantom to hit them from below, not the Hero of Vale to strike from above. Masterful play, Mr. Hero. I’m honestly impressed.”

Even Neo looked giddy, silently giggling at Piggy’s impending demise.

“It has nothing to do with intelligence or skill.” Reid shrugged, being modest. “Let’s be real; none of this would be possible if I didn’t kill so many Titans.”

“That’s true. Love a hero for being modest.” The Silver Fox chuckled.

“Though you seem to misunderstand one thing,” Reid said, making Roman pause.

“Oh?”

Even Neo seemed intrigued.

“He isn’t going to jail. That’d be too kind.” The Titan Slayer said. “I’m sending him to a place that’s a lot more fitting for someone like him.”

“And that is?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Reid smirked. “We tend to send pigs to a slaughterhouse, don’t we?”

For some reason, the look on the hero’s face was anything but heroic. It sent a shiver down Roman’s spine as he was reminded who this person in front of him was. The strongest human in the world. The Slayer of multiple Titans in the span of a single year. A monster in the flesh of a human.

Neo showed a completely different reaction, as, although she too shuddered, she immediately started clapping and silently snickering in amusement, which did help cut through the tension a little, that much Roman could admit.

“That we do.” Roman agreed. “So then, how about we talk about my payment?”

“For sure.” Reid nodded. “Though, there’s gonna be a change of plans.”

Roman stilled as he heard that, and for once, Neo showed the same reaction. Her smile dropped as soon as she heard the hero’s response, predicting where this was coming from. This… usually meant bad news. Very bad news.

Had Roman been too trusting? But what could he have done? He was working with the planet's wealthiest, most powerful, most resourceful man. Roman would never have stood a chance against him if Reid were to turn on him.

Damn it, he really hoped the guy had his own sense of honor, even for criminals, but perhaps not. Was all this just a ploy to sweep all of them in one go? Well, shit. And Roman was actually starting to like the kid.

“I’m not paying you with money. That’d be useless for everyone,” Reid said, and Roman prepared to run away with Neo as far as they could. As for the rest of his men? Sucks to suck. “Instead, I’ll do you a big favor. Just one question: How hard or easy would it be for you to fill the power vacuum if all kingpins were to suddenly disappear?”

Roman paused.

“Pardon?” He blinked.

“It’s a simple question, Roman.”

“Er, well, not that hard, as long as Piggy doesn’t interfere.” He answered.

“Perfect,” Reid smirked. “Then give me all their locations right now.”

“What? What do you plan on doing?” Roman frowned, nervous sweat trailing down his brow and cheek. He couldn’t seriously be planning to—

“I’ll wipe them out.” The Hero said as a matter of factly. “That way, you’ll be in control of the underworld, no?”

Even Neo was shocked as she jumped off the armrest, looking at Astera like he was insane. And that was one hell of an achievement, because most of the time, she was the one other people considered deranged.

“H-hey, I’d really reconsider before doing something like that—”

“Do you think a bunch of washed-up criminals can defeat me, Roman? Please.” Astera said with a roll of his eyes. “I’ll be done before the sun comes up. Just tell me where I need to go, and let me do the rest.”

Neo whipped her head at Roman, rapidly nodding in favor of letting the Hero do it. Her eyes were sparkling, and she almost drooled at such a prospect. Roman couldn’t blame her— he’d really just do that? And here he was, ready to be cuffed and thrown in jail.

“What do you get out of this?” Roman questioned, still unsure. “I mean, that seems too big of a payment for the job I did, if you ask me.”

“I want your loyalty,” Reid replied. “You’ll run the underworld as you see fit, but you’ll ultimately be loyal to me and the rules I’ll lay out for you later.”

Of course. No offer like this could exist without strings attached.

“Right…” The Silver Fox leaned back on his chair, not hiding the disappointment in his tone. “Think you can tell me those rules now? Don’t wanna sign an offer I’d end up regretting.”

Reid paused for a moment before shrugging.

“No human or drug trafficking.” He said. “Hitman work and heists are fine as long as I personally approve of the target. Information gathering isn’t only approved, but encouraged.”

“Not exactly leaving us with much, Mr. Hero.”

“You’ll be fine. I’ll allow working in other kingdoms if it comes down to it.” Reid answered. “I’ll even fund it myself.

“Oh?” Roman immediately realized what the kid was trying to do. “Ah, I see. Very interesting. You want to turn Vale’s criminal underworld into a personal organization, eh?”

“You said it, not me.” He shrugged. “You can refuse my offer, and I’ll even let you go right now, but if we ever see each other again, it won’t be pretty for you. Accept the offer, and I’ll guarantee you a great life and a better purpose than what you’ve been doing up until now.”

“Gotta admit, even ignoring that threat, you drive a hard bargain.” The Silver Fox leaned on his chair. “Hard to really refuse. Though Neo doesn’t seem keen on it.”

True to his words, the short girl was pouting at them both. To her, this was boring. ‘Order’ was boring. Neo thrived in chaos and unpredictability. Having to do shady but organized work would never work out for her.

Of course, the alternative was much, much worse unless Roman left Vale entirely, and he would’ve done so if the offer hadn’t interested him. Unlike his small partner, Roman, while finding enjoyment in chaos, ultimately preferred organized work a lot more. It was cleaner, safer, and more profitable.

Turning the underworld into Astera’s personal spy network was fine with him. Really, he didn’t like smuggling drugs, nor did he enjoy human trafficking. Messy jobs like those and assassination weren’t his forte. Info gathering and emptying out vaults of their treasures? That was more like it.

“Then here’s an offer for you specifically,” Reid said, glancing at Neo, who had one eye open. “How about I take you out on a date where we crush Vale’s underworld?”

Her eyes widened at that, looking at him as if she was asking if he was being serious.

“Hell, I’ll let you finish them off.” He added. “Though the Pig is mine. Everyone else is yours to rip apart until you’re satisfied. Deal?”

Neo grinned widely and nodded, taking his hand and shaking it. That’d do it…

“Heh. Then you have yourself a deal, Mr. Hero.” Roman smirked, taking a file for each kingpin in Vale. “Though, leave Gray Hawk out of it, yeah? I owe him a ton, and I can probably convince him to join us.”

“Sure. If he steps out of line, though—”

“Ah, he won’t.” The Silver Fox waved his hand. “Junior is too docile. If he knows you’re involved, he won’t try anything dumb.”

“He better not.” Reid took the files, flipped through them, and smiled. “Glad to do business with you, Roman.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Roman replied as the hero went to the door.

“I’ll text you our meeting spot in a few minutes, Neo,” Reid said before addressing Roman again. “Oh, and one last thing.”

“Yes?”

Suddenly, a familiar mask that a certain vigilante was known for appeared out of thin air and covered Reid’s face, followed by a large black cloak that concealed most of his giant figure. In that fleeting moment, Roman sensed as though the very fabric of his world had shattered around him. A crushing wave of pressure rolled off Reid, enveloping him and the entire building in its choking aura. The air crackled with unbridled power, and Roman's heart raced from the weight of the ominous pressure that radiated from Reid's presence.

The walls, ceiling, floor, and the door next to him all cracked and split. For a moment, Roman forgot how to breathe as the Black Phantom, now confirmed to be the Titan Slayer, glared at him behind the strange mask. Although the world seemed to go darker and darker with every passing second, Reid’s voice was loud and clear.

“You better not get any stupid ideas.” He warned. “Because I’ll make sure you beg for death if you ever try to double-cross me.”

Reid didn’t wait for a response and quickly walked out, the odd, overpowering pressure disappearing with him. Roman gasped, his face red from lack of breath, as cold sweat dripped down his face. His whole body shook in fear at what he had just felt. What the fuck was that? He’d never felt anything like that before.

The Silver Fox quickly calmed his breathing, wiping the sweat off his forehead as he glanced at his partner. Like him, she was red in the face and panting. Probably affected by whatever the fuck that was… but for entirely different reasons as Neo rubbed her thighs together, looking lustfully at where Mr. Titan Slayer had been as she quivered and trembled.

This girl was a lost cause.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Reid –

I’m not a psychologist, but I think Neo is mentally ill.

“Stay away!” Bloodhound whimpered, trying his hardest to escape despite Neo destroying both of his legs. “Fuck! I should’ve known that bastard Roman would turn on me!”

He was an old man. A goat faunus if his horns are anything to go by. He was, of course, nothing special. Despite having drugs that give regular, inexperienced civilians the physical stats of S-rank hunters, at the cost of utterly destroying their minds. That’s why it’s a ‘drug’. And that’s what separates drugs from my potions. My stuff is totally safe to use. But I digress.

Neo, with a bloodthirsty smirk plastered on her face, casually skips over to him. The old man grunts and rasps, desperately crawling away from her as she takes her sweet time tormenting him. His aura is already broken, so nothing is protecting him from the agony Neo will inflict. She stabs, shoots, and slices, causing him immense pain while keeping him alive.

All the while, I stand back and watch the scene unfold. If I were in her place, I would’ve just gotten it over with, but she’s enjoying every second of this. Every wound she leaves on Bloodhound’s body. Each time he looks at her with fear, her emotions spike.

She’s most definitely a psychopath, and I’m not sure how to feel about this. Obviously, I’d be a hypocrite if I told her off for torturing someone, because I’ve done it myself several times before. But unlike me, where I had a reason, Neo is doing this purely out of enjoyment and spite. It’s a bit… sickening. She’s no different than most of the criminals we’ve been killing.

Then again, what can a monster like me even say?

And honestly, considering all of that, I can still look the other way. It wasn’t until I sensed her getting aroused under the presence of Conqueror’s Haki that I knew this chick wasn’t normal by any stretch of the imagination. Perhaps I shouldn’t have taken her with me.

Oh well.

“And you!” Bloodhound glares at me. “You were with Roman all along?!”

I say nothing.

“I should’ve known!” He growls, eyes flickering to Neo, who crouches down to his level. “You think you can get away with this—?!”

He’s quickly interrupted by Neo poking his eyes out with her thumbs. With him out of aura and severely weakened, all he can do is scream in overwhelming agony and uselessly flail around, trying to get away from the short psychopath.

Jesus…

Neo lets go of him after taking his sight, leaving him barely alive as he wails and cries. Even then, Neo keeps kicking him around, silently giggling at his suffering. I’ve already seen her doing the same thing to the other weapon-smuggling War Bull, so by this point, this has become too pitiful for me to watch.

“End it,” I tell her. “I have better things to do.”

Neo looks at me, blinks, then shrugs with her ever-present smirk. As she approaches the now blind Bloodhound, he whimpers in utter fear.

“W-wait!” He says, putting his hand out in Neo’s general direction. “Please wait!”

But she doesn’t wait and quickly slits his throat. The kingpin struggles to breathe as he drowns in his own blood, clawing at the wound in a desperate attempt to survive. Before long, he falls limp, losing his life in his bedroom.

I exhale afterward. Finally done. Only one more. Just have to wait two days for the Vytal festival.

Compared to the Pig, the other kingpins were far easier to find. Mostly because they don’t have the same political power, but that just makes my job a lot easier. What would’ve been a challenge a few months ago has become nothing but child’s play to me now.

Tearing apart each and every one of his drugged warriors took less time than it would’ve taken me to clear out common-tier dungeons, and I usually clear those in less than a minute. There were no nasty surprises, no ‘super ultra secret drugged warrior last resort’ I needed to worry about. Nothing.

Same thing with War Bull. No super weapon to use against incredibly powerful adversaries or whatever. If he did use it, I didn’t notice.

God, no feeling is better than when things go my way for once. I almost thought one of these fuckers had a Titan stored somewhere just itching to be used against me. Still, I’m glad I decided to take them out now rather than sooner. Made things a lot smoother. I think I would’ve struggled a lot more otherwise. Because when I took out War Bull, Bloodhound didn’t notice until I destroyed most of his bodyguards.

I was planning to take them all out at some point, because fewer kingpins means less work. With Roman directly taking over the underworld while working for me, there wouldn’t be much to worry about on that front. The main reason I waited for this long was not to give Piggy a chance to fill in the power vacuum left by his rivals.

He dies in two days.

“Let’s go,” I say to Neo. “Before the cops show up.”

Neo nods and spreads her arms in a certain gesture, making me roll my eyes and carry her bridal-style out of the window. Wearing my divine armor underneath my cloak, I fly through the air and land in a tight alley on the other side of the city.

“Happy now?” I look down at her.

Neo stands and gives me a beaming smile. The fact that she can look so innocent despite how bloodthirsty she actually is is honestly really eerie. No, not just look. I can sense her emotions— her gratitude for me is real.

“Great…” I sigh, replacing my Black Phantom outfit with a regular one. “Then let’s pretend we don’t know each other for now.”

Neo blinks, types something in her scroll, then shows it to me.

‘I thought this was a date? We didn’t have dinner yet.’

“I realized the chick in front of me is too crazy even for me,” I respond bluntly. “Don’t want to be involved with that.”

Instead of getting offended, Neo giggles, showing me another text.

‘Aw, thanks! I try my best.’ It says on the scroll before she deletes and types in something else. ‘But that’s not enough to make me go away. I demand dinner.’

“I really don’t have time for you,” I say, unfazed. “Besides, aren’t you a known criminal? Getting caught with you wouldn’t do well for my public image.”

Again, instead of being pushed away, Neo instead wraps her arm around mine before shifting into an entirely different person, using her Semblance to change her eye color to silver, her long hair to something short and black, fading to red at the tips, and her outfit to something gothic.

The spitting image of Ruby.

Any other time, I’d be annoyed and even angry that anyone would do something like this, but I can tell Neo isn’t doing this out of mockery. And honestly? I’m genuinely too impressed to be pissed. Jesus Christ, she even got her measurements right.

‘Did you forget I can do that?’ She shows me on her scroll, suddenly changing to Weiss. ‘Which do you prefer? The innocent red Titan Slayer or the haughty SDC Princess? I’m sure you’d want one of them to be in your bed.’

That’s a little funny.

“Not to brag, but I already had them both,” I reveal, making her blink. “Sometimes together.”

That doesn’t deter her. Nor does it disgust her as she smirks.

‘Naughty naughty.’ She types out on her scroll. ‘Fine. How about this?’

This time, she changes into someone I don’t recognize. A woman with long black hair with a straight fringe and green eyes. She wears an off white, strapless dress that graduates to cyan towards the skirt, a pair of white thigh-high boots, and a feathery white scarf. She kind of looks familiar, but I’m not entirely sure where I saw this woman before.

“Better.” I snort. “Fine. But just dinner. Nothing more.”

I really don’t want her to bother me.

Neo beams and gives me a peck on the cheek as we walk out of the alley. Right, whatever. Time to look for good restaurants in this area…

Before I can spend longer than a minute searching for something a little upscale to feed the psychopath attached to me at the moment, Neo pulls my arm to get my attention, and when I look at her, she points at an… ice cream parlor?

‘I want that.’ She types.

“Ice cream comes after dinner, Neo,” I tell her.

‘That’s dinner.’

I blink.

“You want ice cream for dinner?”

She nods.

“Are you five?”

She shrugs.

“You know what? Fine. Sure. Ice cream for dinner.” I sigh. “I was looking for something expensive, but that’s better for my wallet, I guess.”

Neo grins and pumps her fist in celebration at that, which I admittedly do find very adorable, but I keep it to myself. I honestly just want to get this over with and get back to work.

On the way there, I notice that no civilian ever tries to approach me, which comes as a surprise because there are a bunch of people here. I sense no intent, no recognition, nothing. That’s… weird.

We wait in line for a little while, and it’s not until we’re close enough to the parlor that I finally notice it. Upon seeing my faint reflection on the display glass, I realize that Neo inverted the colors of my hair and eyes. Black hair and orange eyes. She also made me about a foot and a half shorter than I am. Otherwise, I look exactly the same. And literally nobody noticed.

How the hell does this work?

Clever. I guess she wants this ‘date’ to be uninterrupted. Such a convenient ability. I can see why Roman would want to keep her around. She’s the perfect spy.

As it’s finally our turn, I settle for only one scoop of vanilla ice cream as I never was big on sweets, while Neo gets a tower of three, all the same flavor—her namesake. Because, of course. I don’t know if she’s playing a bit or if she genuinely likes the flavor.

“We’re done now, right?” I ask her as we walk away from the parlor, giving others a distance. “I can go home now, right?”

Neo blinks, takes out her scroll, and takes considerably longer to type with one hand, but eventually shows me a negative response.

‘Nope. There’s still one more thing every date needs.’

“Besides killing and torturing kingpins, you mean?” I whisper. She nods, and I resist a sigh. “What’s that?”

She smirks widely and begins typing again.

‘It involves you, me, and a bed.’

“Forget it.” I scoff.

‘Why not?’

“I already told you I’m busy.” I remind her. “I’ve got stuff to do. Sex with you isn’t on my priority list.”

‘Please. You can spare five minutes for little ol' me, right?”

I blink, then frown at the implication.

“Are you calling me a quickshot?”

‘Are you?’

Her smirk pisses me the fuck off. I mean, I’m not falling for that shit, but I almost want to just to teach her a lesson. I’m only not doing that because giving her extra superpowers wouldn’t end well for anyone.

But before I can decline a little more firmly this time, we are approached by a small blond girl with green eyes. No older than four. Well, she is mostly looking at Neo despite my giant stature.

“Hey, miss? Can you share your ice cream?”She very bluntly asks, pointing at her cone. “I like this flavor. But the ice cream man doesn’t have any more, and you have three. Can I have one?”

Both Neo and I are bewildered, and a few moments pass before either of us responds. However, the little girl’s mother comes rushing toward us, taking her child’s hand and profusely apologizing to us.

“I am so sorry for bothering you.” She says, dragging her away. “Goodness, Chloe. We can’t just ask other people something like that.”

“But the pretty lady has three.”

“Because she was here first.”

As the mother continues to chastise her, I glance at Neo, who walks toward the pair before crouching near the little girl. I watch this scene, a little intrigued as Neo gives the girl the entire cone with a smile.

“I can have all of it?” The little girl asked, and Neo nodded, making her face break into a big smile. “Thank you, pretty lady.”

“Are you sure?” The mother is a little more hesitant than her daughter.

Neo only shrugs and walks back to me, noticing my smile, and tilting her head in confusion.

“That’s really nice of you.” I point out. “And here I thought you’d push the kid down, throw the ice cream away, and laugh at her. Unless you did this because she called you pretty?”

She didn’t, of course. I can tell that she was genuinely being kind for the hell of it. No ulterior motives. Just because.

Neo shrugs, then shows me what she typed on her scroll.

‘It’s just a kid. I like kids.’ Is her simple answer. As expected.

She’s still a psychopath, but maybe she’s not as bad as I thought she was.

“Here.” I hand her my cone. “I don’t like sweets anyway.”

Neo blinks, smirks, then types on her scroll. 

I should maybe learn sign language.

‘If you’re gonna reward me with cream, I want it through the other set of lips.’

Oh for fuck’s sake.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I scowl at her.

She giggles silently before responding.

‘Simple. I’m horny and I want your dick.’

“You know, love usually plays a huge part in this sort of thing.”

‘Then consider me head over heels, Mr. Hero.’

Her annoying smirk doesn’t even budge despite my glare, and eventually, I sigh deeply.

“You’re not gonna leave me alone unless you have your way, are you?”

She shrugs.

‘I know where you live.’

“That comes off as a threat,” I tell her. “If I comply now, this can be considered rape, you know.”

Neo snorts in amusement, typing her response.

‘Everyone knows where you live. But by all means, give me something to brag about.’

I take it back. This chick is fucking crazy and remorseless. Any sign of compassion and human empathy is a fluke.

…I will say that I’m a fan of how gutsy she is, though. She’s seen what I’m capable of and even felt my Conqueror’s presence.

“…Fine.” I sigh. “And just to make sure you don’t get to brag about something like that: I, Reid Astera, an adult man, consent to having sexual intercourse with you, Neopolitan, an adult woman, who also has consented.”

In response, Neo giggles like she just heard the funniest thing ever. This little bitch. I’m going to teach her not to mess with me like this again.

…

…Well, Reid, you needed to get better at your pullout game eventually.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

– Neo –

Neopolitan wouldn’t say she was particularly hard to entertain, but in her line of work, there wasn’t a lot to see. Steal, stab people, and use 90% of her share to buy as many tubs of ice cream as possible. It was a simple life, and Neo enjoyed all three activities.

Granted, there were a few places they weren’t supposed to steal from, like specific politicians and whatnot, which made it harder not to steal from them, and certain people they weren’t supposed to stab, like civilians and hunters. Killing civilians was a big no-no because that would involve hunters, and killing hunters was a bigger no-no because it would draw the attention of stronger hunters.

And killing random people was bad for business anyway.

All under Roman’s commands, of course, and he was the only person she’d listen to. Even though she liked disobeying him every once in a while. Just to get a rise out of him. But never to a degree where it would compromise their entire operation. Neo didn’t like being organized, but being organized made them money, which meant more ice cream.

So whatever. At least she could still stab other criminals, and Neo always made sure to enjoy every moment of it. Though, admittedly, she always wanted to stab hunters. Not only was she bored out of her mind encountering brittle toys that broke every three touches on every raid, but she also hated law enforcement. They always ruined their fun with their talk about justice and public safety.

Until Reid Astera had shown up, breaking a lot of the annoying stereotypes.

When she first saw him, she thought he’d be another one of those hero wannabes who raved about heroism, justice, saving others— typical hero stuff she’d never cared about. And he did do that, making Neo immediately lose interest in him. Other than wanting to stab him, of course.

But then she’d personally met him, and he was a completely different person. Roman had predicted he’d be a different person, telling her that people on screen were never true to themselves, but neither Roman nor Neo had expected the kind of person he was.

First of all, even though he’d put them there in the first place, he broke them out of prison and decided to work with them. Him, a hero. Them, thieves and villains. Wasn’t that just weird? He was weird for sure.

But it fascinated Neo. And that fascination only continued to grow the longer she interacted with him. That fascination reached its absolute pinnacle the moment he revealed to them that he was the Black Phantom, just as they had suspected. He was a hero who was utterly serious about the stuff he spouted. It wasn’t just words to him. Because he’d shown them just how deep he’d lower himself to achieve that goal of his.

And he was merciless about it. Before the revelation, Neo had always found the Black Phantom interesting, seeing how brutal he was, and seeing it for herself? It both horrified and turned her on. Not only was he terrifyingly powerful, fit to be the Titan Slayer that had destroyed more than four Titans, but he was ruthlessly efficient.

Letting her torture those two fuckers? The cherry on top of the tastiest cold dessert she’d ever had. Consider her in love with him.

Again, this man fascinated Neo to the highest degree, and after feeling that weird pressure thing he did back at Roman’s office and his work cleaning out Vale’s underground from two-fifths of its kingpins? Well, ‘horny’ would be a severe understatement. She needed him inside her as soon as possible. Thankfully, she’d somehow convinced him.

Taking a detour to the closest hotel, Neo and Reid took a room for themselves to enjoy the night together. As soon as their clothes hit the floor, they were on the bed making out as she let him explore her petite body with his hands. From kneading her breasts to pinching her nipples to inserting a finger or two into her wet pussy. For someone who was so hesitant, he didn’t waste any time.

It didn’t hurt that he was pretty handsome and built like a brick shithouse too, which made the size difference all the more exciting for her. She didn’t even reach his chest.

Eventually, Neo got bored with the foreplay, rubbing the rigid member resting on her stomach. Reid understood and positioned to poke her tight hole, making her nearly pass out from the anticipation. Although not entirely inexperienced, Neo had never cared about having sex. This? This was going to ruin her.

Reid, however, hesitated.

“…Y-you might actually die.” He warned.

What he thought was gonna scare her off only made her more excited as she forced him to look at her nodding rapidly.

“Alright…”

Her heart pounded in her chest as she felt him slowly stretch her apart before her eyes rolled into the back of her skull as he suddenly thrust into her without warning. There was a single moment of clarity where Neo wondered how it was even physically possible that his entire thing was inside her, but that quickly disappeared after she was hit with a wave of pleasure like never before.

Thankfully, Reid was merciful enough to wait, and once she was conscious again, Neo grabbed him by the arms for support, panting heavily while staring at him with wanton desire and lust. Once again, he understood what she meant and began moving.

Each thrust and stroke would feel like a million mini explosions through her velvety walls. Neo quivered uncontrollably as she moaned silently, letting him take the lead and pound her into oblivion. Gradually, Reid began to pick up speed, going faster and harder on her until she was cumming with nearly every thrust.

This was a pleasure unlike anything she’d felt before. Prior to getting her pussy destroyed by the giant on top of her, she’d had doubts he could fit all of it. This was even better than she had expected.

Neo held onto dear life as Reid suddenly lifted her up and impaled her on his cock, going as hard as he could now he was sure she wouldn’t pass away with the way he fucked her. She didn’t know what this was about, but she loved it anyway. She’d hoped he was going to treat her that way, if anything.

“Who were you calling a quickshot, huh?” He growled, pinning her to a wall. “How many times did you cum already, you slut?”

What felt like electricity passed through her body as she heard that. If the mute Neopolitan were to moan any harder, she wouldn’t be mute anymore. So she had hit a nerve back then? Fantastic. She felt utterly proud of herself.

“Seeing people dying turns you on, you crazy bitch? You like torturing others? You think that’s okay?” He added, smacking her ass. “Someone has to teach you a lesson.”

Oh, she wanted to be taught a lesson. So hard that she would never commit another crime again. That’s how he should be fucking her, and so far? He was passing with flying colors, as Neo was on the verge of passing out after orgasming for the umpteenth time.

He continued to reshape her insides to a point where Neo couldn’t even hold onto him anymore, her arms feeling weak and failing her. Her tongue lolled out, and tears rolled down her cheeks. Other than the smacks of their hips and Reid’s grunts, there was no other sound.

Astera then took her back to the bed and pinned her down to it, pushing her legs back as he fucked her like his life depended on it. At this point, Neo felt she was going to die, but dying in such a way was perfectly acceptable for her. Her only regret would be never getting to do this again.

As he rearranged her guts to the shape of his massive cock, Reid started to slow down and reach his limit. If Neo were able to speak, she would’ve begged him to cum inside her and paint her womb, too. What better way to finish this ‘lesson’ of theirs than to mark her as his?

Alas, Reid didn’t think so as he pulled out just moments away from cumming, groaning and spraying her stomach, chest, face and hair with his sperm. Neo also came her biggest orgasm yet, which was saying something. She spasmed and trembled, tightly grabbing the sheets of her bed.

Eventually, though, Neo’s orgasm ended, and her body relaxed as she panted and gasped for air. Her hips ached a little, and her trembling hadn’t ceased yet, but she regained enough sense to think properly again. She blinked a few times, staring at the ceiling.

…Oh wow, she was still alive?

Her eyes then flickered to her partner, who seemed strangely proud of himself for some reason, which made her smirk. He blinked at her expression, and Neo seductively licked the bit of the cum on her lips. In fact, she went the extra mile and scooped some of it that was on her chest, swallowing it right in front of him.

He seemed both aroused and weirded out.

“You’re something else.” He said. Praised? She didn’t care as she pounced on him, pushing him off the bed and grabbing his still hard cock in her hand.

Reid said nothing as she started licking the head and stroking the rest with her hand. Slick with her own juices, Neo didn’t waste another second as she took as much as she could into her mouth, feeling it twitch.

“Christ— how the fuck are you recovered already?” He questioned with a shocked tone as he groaned. “Shit…”

She felt his hand on her head as she licked and sucked, dragging her tongue across his length. Just as he’d showed her no mercy when fucking her like she was a sex toy, Neo did the same, knowing he was still sensitive. All because she knew he’d take revenge on her sooner or later.

Just as she’d expected, Reid decided to punish her by forcing her to take his whole member into her throat. Neo gagged and choked, loving the punishment as she pumped two fingers in and out of herself.

But this time, he folded first as he filled her mouth with his seed. Straight into her stomach, making Neo spray her fluids onto the floor. She swallowed most of the load, letting a few ropes hit her face as he pulled out right before he finished.

Neo smirked at him smugely, kissing the tip of his cock before drinking whatever her tongue could catch. Reid’s glare only made her more excited, for his member was still hard despite cumming twice in quick succession. But he could pound her holes all he wanted.

They both knew who won.