I opened my eyes, the sensation of the soft warmth of Satsuki's and Mei Ling's bodies embracing me was the epitome of satisfaction. I took a deep breath, the air thick with floral perfume, sweat, and my fresh semen.
The night had been perfect, and my body felt completely restored.
I grabbed the phone on the nightstand. The screen's glow hit me, and I confirmed my suspicions.
00:17 AM.
I had only slept for a few minutes. The power of my ability, Ideal Condition, had completely restored me with frightening efficiency, leaving me alert and sleepless.
A sigh of frustration escaped my lips. I'm lazy and I don't want to work... Unfortunately, I'll have to act; I can't waste time.
Carefully, I slid out of bed, grabbing a black velvet blanket to cover the two women's naked, exhausted bodies. Satsuki nestled under the blanket with a soft purr, and Mei Ling, still unconscious, moved instinctively to where my warmth had been.
I went to the bathroom. The cold shower water washed away the sweat and the lingering scent of sex, cleansing the lust and making room for rationalization.
As the water ran, my mind worked on the invasion.
The head of security, Yusuke, wasn't here when the building was attacked. The terrorists were arrogant, as if they knew they wouldn't face resistance. The heroes had also arrived late.
A very strange coincidence; I smell a conspiracy.
I should have interrogated the two meta-humans before killing them, but I was so irritated I just wanted to finish quickly to get back to my girls.
A basic mistake, born from my impatience. However... no use thinking about it, the terrorists are dead now.
But... The head of security is still alive; I can find out something from him.
"..."
If before I was just going to fire Yusuke and take my powers back, now I might actually kill him if I don't get a satisfactory answer. Treason against my domain is punishable by death.
Well... It's time to go.
I turned off the shower, dried myself, and put on pants and a black jacket. I grabbed the keys to my Lamborghini and left the apartment, locking the door behind me.
Soon after, I went down in the elevator.
Arriving in the underground parking garage, I started the car's engine. The Lamborghini's roar tore through the pre-dawn silence. I sped off to the airport.
Yes... That bastard was planning to escape.
Hahahahah...
I guess he never expected I had a way to locate him. But I do, although the process is complex.
It works through an ability duplicate that I "planted" in him.
My power-stealing ability, Absorption—my original trump card—includes three crucial sub-abilities. Ability Detection: Which I used to discover the two terrorists' abilities.
And Ability Merging and Separation.
The fact is, I can control the properties of merging and separation, allowing me to control which characteristics are removed from abilities during separation, or control which characteristics are modified or remain unchanged when merging abilities.
Confusing, right?
The point is, to make an ability duplicate, I separate a small part of the original ability.
Removing 1% from the original 100%.
Then I merge that 1% with other abilities to increase its power, keeping the main characteristic of that fragment unchanged, only increasing the raw power. Making that fragment as strong as the original ability.
However, this doesn't change the fact that it's just a fraction of the original ability, even if it's more powerful than the original. That's why it's possible to use the original ability to sense and even control the duplicate, even if it's in someone else's possession.
When I met Yusuke 6 years ago, when I was 12.
He was just a street rat, crawling to survive and collecting scraps to support his family.
I saw the fire in his eyes. He was ambitious; if given the opportunity to change, he would grab it with all his strength.
At that time, I couldn't act alone, not when I was weak. I needed a puppet; Yusuke was perfect for it. I was the light in his life, gifting him a meta-human ability, asking only for his loyalty in return.
I gave him 50% of the Ideal Condition ability, the ability I unconsciously stole from my mother while still in her womb.
And Yusuke didn't disappoint me; he helped me collect Rank 1 abilities from weaker meta-humans. As my power grew by merging abilities, Yusuke naturally benefited.
But he was too ambitious and greedy, and I was too paranoid and cautious. So, I started giving him 1% duplicates of the obtained abilities, merged with my others to make them powerful. I knew he might betray me, and now, those duplicates were leading me straight to him.
I barely noticed when I arrived at the private airport; I was so lost in the greatness of my own abilities and powers that I forgot the world around me.
The Lamborghini screeched to a sudden halt near the runway.
"..."
"Let's go."
I muttered as I got out of the car. I hadn't thought much about what I would do with Yusuke. I just wanted answers, and of course, to get my abilities back! Power is the only thing that truly matters to me.
I walked towards the plane that was preparing to depart and made some changes to my newly acquired abilities.
It was only now that I discovered why that telekinesis girl was with that illusion guy. Apparently, her telekinesis has visual effects; the illusion would be used to cover them.
I paused for a moment, wondering if I should merge that ability with my telekinesis or not. I don't want my telekinesis to have a pink glow; that would be embarrassing...
I shook my head and turned my gaze back to the departing plane. I'd think about what to do with this ability later.
Now I have to deal with a little rat!
The private jet began to gain speed on the runway.
With an impatient sigh, I used my newly enhanced Telekinesis to propel myself into the air. The luxury car was left behind, a red blur in the pre-dawn darkness.
Whsssh!
I hit the plane's fuselage at the exact moment the wheels were retracting and it was leaving the ground. Clinging to the side of the jet.
I used Ability Detection to map the occupants and the structure.
The little rat was inside.
Without wasting time, I used the Teleportation ability I had stolen from a Rank 2 Meta-Human several years ago.
Almost instantly, I appeared inside the plane.
I could have used Teleportation right from the start to come here.
I could have, but there's a problem.
The Teleportation ability requires exact spatial coordinates for a safe jump. If I try to teleport long distances without precise coordinates, the consequences would be unpredictable and, most of the time, unpleasant, like losing a limb, or even being merged with the plane's fuselage itself.
Furthermore, a long-distance teleport consumes a massive amount of energy, exhausting me. For a safe distance, I would spend less energy, and the Ideal Condition ability would allow me to recover in seconds.
As for why I don't use it frequently...
Well, I have one of the fastest and most expensive cars in the world. I'd be an idiot not to use it.
Leaving those thoughts behind, I began to wander silently through the private jet's luxury cabin.
The cabin was dark, with only the dim reading lights on. I was following the trail of my duplicate, so it didn't take long to find him.
Near one of the windows, staring intently at the blanket of stars emerging in the darkness, was Yusuke. His disheveled black hair fell over his forehead, and he held a glass of whiskey in his hand.
He looked tense, but relieved.
I approached, sliding into the seat next to him.
"Hello, old friend," I said warmly, my voice low and serene.
I could see Yusuke's body, which was looking out the window, freeze for an instant, the whiskey glass trembling slightly in his hand. Then, he let out a slow, controlled sigh, relaxing his body.
Yusuke turned to face me. His eyes, which previously showed seriousness and tension, now displayed a cold resignation.
"Hello, Mr. Kurokawa."
"Mr. Kurokawa?" I asked ironically. "Yusuke, are we so distant that you'd call me 'sir'?"
He remained silent, but I could see his body was rigid and covered in goosebumps.
Fear.
He was afraid.
A sadistic smile crossed my lips, and I asked gently:
"Why are you afraid, Yusuke-san? Has someone been threatening you? You just need to tell me who, and I'll handle everything."
Yusuke fell silent, and I didn't bother saying anything either. I just sat there, watching him, analyzing him.
The silence hung heavy between us until Yusuke finally broke it.
"R-Ren, I'm sorry." He stammered as he spoke. "I was just going to visit my family abroad..."
"Oh? Why are you apologizing?" I stared at him with feigned surprise. "Do you know you did something wrong, which is why you're asking for forgiveness?"
He opened his mouth to defend himself, but I silenced him and said nostalgically, as if recalling the past:
"Family, that reminds me of when I arrived in Tokyo. I was living with my aunt and uncle who mistreated me, then I met my good friend Yusuke. He helped me change my life."
I playfully jabbed his arm.
"I remember you had a daughter my age, and you promised to marry her to me. But unfortunately, she had to go study abroad." I shook my head and asked while staring into his eyes. "How is Sachi? I heard she's striving to become a hero just like her father."
My expression turned serious, and my voice equally so.
"But I also heard the United States is a very dangerous place; you should be careful with your family. They might have an accident, or worse, run the risk of being attacked by some supervillain."
I wasn't lying; the United States is the country with the highest number of heroes. But the number of villains is equally high there.
That wasn't a threat... It was a friend's advice. Yusuke was so moved by my concern for his family that he started to cry.
As the good friend I am, I wiped away the tears of emotion streaming from Yusuke's eyes and comforted him.
"Don't worry, friend, things like that are rare, and they usually don't happen without a reason. Right?"
My last sentence was spoken with a chilling cold; the fear emanating from Yusuke intensified. His body was trembling slightly; he was terrified.
Not just because of my threat, but because he was completely naked and vulnerable before my eyes. Even the powers he trusted so much seemed to abandon him, becoming useless.
"Now, Yusuke-san... Are you going to tell me what I want to know, or will I have to be more... Violent?"
The trembling in Yusuke's body increased, and he swallowed hard, the fear suffocating him. He knows me too well and knows that my violence wasn't just physical, but a mental agony that could rip out his very soul.
"R-Ren," he finally managed to say, his voice hoarse and low. "I just... I just wanted to be free. I did everything you asked me to for six years. I collected your meta-humans, I handled the dirty work, I lied to everyone. But I was tired! I can't stand being your... your dog anymore."
Yusuke closed his eyes, tears of fear and resentment streaming freely.
"I owe you everything, I know. You pulled me out of the gutter and gave me power. But every day, I felt less like myself. I'm not a villain, Ren. I'm a father who just wanted to protect his daughter and wife. And to do that, I needed my own domain, far away from you."
He opened his eyes, and there was a glint of desperation and resentment.
"You would never let me go. You turned me into something I despise, and you still expected me to be grateful for the leash! I saw what you did to those people... I didn't want to be next."
How funny; I couldn't hold back my laughter.
"Hahahahahah!"
I leaned forward, the friendly expression dissolving into cold sadism. My hands rose, and I gripped Yusuke's head firmly, forcing him to meet the cold intensity of my eyes.
His fear became an intoxicating fragrance.
"You're right, Yusuke," I growled, my voice a dangerous hiss. "You are mine. Every ability you used, every yen you earned under my banner, you belonged to me more. You belong to me, and everything you have is mine. And you know it."
I tightened my grip on his head.
"But I'm a good master. I'll give you a chance to leave. Give me back my abilities. The 50% of Ideal Condition, all the duplicates I gave you... Give them back to me."
I shook my head slowly, a cruel smile forming.
"But that's impossible, isn't it? Because once you've had that addictive taste of power, the chance to be something more than trash... the possibility of being someone... it's hard to part with. You've become a greedy street rat again, Yusuke."
My smile vanished. My tone filled with contempt.
"You were a very bad dog, Yusuke. You bit the hand that fed you, and you still wanted to kill me by running away! Did you really think I wouldn't notice your betrayal? And that I wouldn't be able to find you?"
Yusuke struggled uselessly in my grip.
"What do you want me to do, Ren?!" he begged, tears mixing with the sweat on his face. "Without these powers, I'm nobody! I have nothing! I go back to the gutter! Sachi will no longer have the Hero father she admires so much!"
Observing his panic was delicious.
Suddenly, my expression softened. The grip on his head loosened, and I returned to my friendly posture from before, as if the threat had never existed.
"But, my good friend, I can give you a chance if you tell me who the mastermind of the attack is."
Yusuke blinked, confused by the sudden change in my behavior.
"..."
He fell silent, looking conflicted. But soon, under the weight of my gaze, he revealed everything.
"I don't know who the mastermind is, only that it was a company from abroad, whose leader called himself Mr. Drake. Their target was the Lin family, and since you were the young Miss Lin's 'boyfriend,' you ended up in their sights too. They contacted me, promising many benefits to work for them and not interfere... And I accepted."
A crushing silence hung between us. I found the situation strangely funny. Yusuke didn't want to be a dog anymore, but he submitted himself to a foreign company he doesn't even know.
Hahahahah.
"So..." Yusuke asked hesitantly. "What happens now?"
I leaned back in the seat, took the whiskey glass from his trembling hand, and took a sip.
"It's simple, old friend," I said calmly, returning the empty glass.
"If you want these powers so badly—the power I gave you—you'll have to fight for them."
Yusuke blinked, almost as if he couldn't believe it.
"Fight? But... fight how?"
I smiled, a wide, dangerous smile that didn't reach my eyes. I really wasn't going to let Yusuke survive, but just killing a dog wouldn't be fun. I needed this dog to reveal its fangs and become a predator.
"A fight to the death, Yusuke. Here and now."
This promise, even if false, was the best incentive.
"If you kill me, freedom is yours, and so are the powers. You'll be your daughter's hero."
I took a step back, my eyes shining with the promise of violence.
"But if I win, I'm taking everything, including your life."
I crossed my arms, the picture of calm and serenity, but my mind was already working on how I would crush his newborn hope.
Yusuke looked at me, and then at the empty whiskey glass in his hand. He knew he had no choice. Fighting was the only way to die with dignity, or, by some miracle, survive.
His body, previously trembling, stiffened. Even if the odds were against him, he would fight and win!
"I hate you, Ren."
I smiled at Yusuke's words and replied warmly.
"I love you too, Yusuke. I'll take very good care of your wife and daughter when you're dead."