“Hawks? W-What’s going on? Why are you…”

The winged hero was blocking the doorway with a feathered sword in his hand. Jin backed away slowly in horror. It couldn’t be. Hawks had been so sincere about being his friend when teaching him about the ideology of the Meta Liberation Front. He was a friend, wasn’t he? Why would he…

“I’m sorry, Jin.” Hawks’ expression was neutral, even though sadness was apparent in his eyes. “I cannot call off the attack. Like your friend, Pagonis, I am undercover as well. My task is to investigate the Meta Liberation Front and gather enough evidence to take them down.”

“W-what…?” Jin muttered, shaking his head frantically. “N-no, you’re lying! How about all those times you spent teaching me about the Meta Liberation Ideology? Was all of that faked too?”

Hawks nodded slowly.

“There is a war coming, Jin. The Meta Liberation Front will attack Japan in about four months, or even earlier if things change,” he sighed. “I am still a hero, and I cannot bear to see those who don’t deserve it suffer. My job here is done, so I’m leaving as of today. Come with me and surrender to the heroes. I promise we’ll give you a new lease in life-”

“Your promises are worth nothing, traitor!” Jin yelled. “You want us to surrender? What will happen to Felix? What will happen to my friends?”

“I don’t know. It’s not my decision to make.”

“Liar!” The villain covered his face with his hands as his body shook with emotion. “Not again… Why does this always happen? First Overhaul, and now you…”

Hawks lowered his weapon slightly.

“Please don’t put up a fight. I’d like to keep you nice and safe until I can hand you over to the police,” he said. “There is no point in resisting; the heroes have already come up with a plan to deal with Felix Pagonis. Don’t do this, Jin. Don’t cause unnecessary bloodshed.”

Jin released a dry laugh.

“What a fool I’d been, thinking that all I had to do to help my friends was trust you and this damned Liberation Front. Tell me something, hero. Was this all part of the plan from the beginning? Did I make a mistake coming to you?”

“So what if you did? It’s not your fault you were born with the crappiest luck. Atone for your crimes and start over. I’m willing to help you build a new life. I mean it when I say this, Bubaigawara. You are a good person at heart.”

“Shut up. Is this what heroes do? Spew fake promises?” Jin stood up slowly, removing his mask. “A good person? The best people are those who help their friends, don’t you agree? I stopped giving a damn about myself a long time ago. I just want to see my friends safe and happy.”

Hawks tightened the grip on his sword.

“The last thing I wanna do right now is fight.” The man pointed his weapon threateningly at Jin. “You can’t win this. Just come quietly.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I don’t care about what you want!” Jin yelled, clutching his mask tightly. “I’m only alive because of them. I’ll take responsibility for my actions this time. So die, hero!”

The hero flinched as the mask hit his face, and Jin took the chance to attack. A multitude of war cries rang out, and dozens of clones burst forth from his body. Red flashes darted around as the feathers on Hawk’s back retaliated, going through the clones like bullets.

“Witness my ultimate move!” Jin roared. “Infinite doubles: Sad Man Parade!”

“I’ll destroy everything!”

“Hellfire!”

“Give me your blood!”

“You messed with the wrong God!”

“It’s showtime!”

“I’ll purge all you corrupt heroes!”

Copies upon copies of the League Of Villains flooded the room instantly, pushing Hawks out and surging into the corridor like water leaking out of an open pipe.

Brown fluid burst from the clones’ faces as Hawks casually increased the speed of his feathers. The Number Two Hero was inhumanly fast, if nothing else.

“You’re multiplying at an insane rate. But since you’re making copies of copies, they get less and less durable each time,” Hawks commented, keeping his eyes focused on the original villain. “Some melt and some don’t, even though they’re being hit by the same type of feathers.”

“They’re too fast… I can’t keep up.” Jin’s voice was strained with effort.

“The Meta Liberation Front wants your power, Jin! As long as there is a clone of their leader, Re-Destro will never die!” Hawks shouted over the commotion. “I cannot let that happen, you know that! It’s either you die, or you come with me. And I don’t want to kill you, dammit!”

The feathers returned into his back, realigning themselves in the shape of wings as Hawks approached the exhausted villain. Murky liquid stained almost every nook and cranny of the corridor, a testament to the sheer number of clones that the hero had cut down.

“I like to take enemies out quickly. Do you know why that is?” Hawks knelt down in front of Jin. “Because a villain who refuses to quit is the most terrifying thing a hero can face. I’ve seen it myself. The strong-willed are the hardest to knock out. If neither side will give up, someone has to die. Last chance, Twice.”

“You people call yourself ‘heroes.’ But when things get tough, your kind always abandons the people at their lowest. We villains don’t do that,” Jin panted. “We help each other back up, even when we screw up. We support each other, even when no one else will. It’s true that in my life, I kept falling and failing. I got tricked, lost a friend, and still ended up getting fooled again.”

The villain retreated backwards, laughing deliriously.

“I must’ve looked pretty pathetic and worthless to other people, constantly trying to find myself. But I was blessed with people I cared about, and people who cared about me.” A tear rolled down Jin’s face. “Who could ask for a better life than that? I was happy with my life; I was happy with them. What right do you have to look at me and call me unlucky?”

Glass shattered as Jin dived through the window behind him without warning. His body strained with effort as brown liquid began pooling in his hands. It was the end, and he knew it. But a small smile hung on his lips nonetheless. He had chosen death on his own terms.

“I hope you die, Hawks.”

Pain ravaged his body as he felt a dozen of his bones crack at the same time. Grass rustled with the sound of light footsteps scurrying away, while a shadow descended from above him. Jin closed his eyes in defeat.

Thank you, my friends.