Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Not Ready
What did Megawoman want from him?
Riley’s clone was directly linked to him, but with his real body preparing to fight someone who could manipulate probability, he couldn’t afford to split his focus. That left the clone to deal with Megawoman alone.
If anything... Sofiya’s abilities might have had something to do with her sudden appearance.
But Riley didn’t have the luxury to chase that thought. And maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe she wasn’t here for him at all... and judging by where her gaze settled, that seemed to be the case.
Her eyes fell on Silvie first. She squinted slightly, studying her before shifting her attention to Gracey, who immediately looked away.
She wasn’t the only one. One by one, the rest of the Baby Crew avoided Megawoman’s gaze, as if meeting it for too long would cause them to melt. For a moment, the entire dessert shop fell into an uneasy silence.
"...Did you need something from us, Megawoman, ma’am?"
It wasn’t until Hannah spoke up that the silence broke. She stood up and saluted.
The rest followed almost instantly. Even the ones lingering off to the side of the dessert shop straightened and paid their respects.
"Huh?" Megawoman blinked.
"Why... are you saluting me?" she asked. "We’re not in the military."
"Sorry, Megawoman, ma’am!" Hannah snapped, dropping the salute but remaining stiff, her posture locked in place.
How could she not be?
Megawoman’s presence wasn’t something that could be ignored, much less treated casually. She was the one who had started the Age of Heroes over three hundred years ago. If anyone searched the word superhero, it was her face that filled the screen.
Even dictionaries treated her name like a definition. And now she was standing right in front of them.
"Just... relax," Megawoman said, letting out a small sigh as she gestured for them to sit.
They obeyed immediately... and then froze again when she pulled up a chair and sat with them.
"Alright," she continued, clearing her throat. "First, I should introduce myself. I’m Megawoman."
The Baby Crew exchanged quick glances. Why would she even need to introduce herself? They all thought, but none of them had time to dwell on it.
"The Academy hasn’t made this public yet," she went on, "but I wanted to get ahead of it. Selected instructors will begin supervising freshman groups directly, to prepare them for eventual sidekicking. I volunteered to be one of those instructors."
She paused, and then smiled at them.
"I’ve been assigned to the Baby Crew," she said, putting her palms together.
"...I hope we get along."
The reactions around the table varied wildly—shock, disbelief, excitement... and everything else.
Elsewhere, Darkday was having none of that luxury.
Sofiya was... dismantling him.
He’d already stopped using his telekinetic abilities. Every time he tried, they twisted back on him, warped by her interference. But even in close combat, where he should have had control, nothing was landing the way it should.
He kicked—and his footing slipped just enough to throw everything off. His strike missed Sofiya’s chin by nearly a foot.
She moved in immediately, reaching for him.
Darkday reacted on instinct, shoving himself away before she could get a hold on him. But this basic maneuver sent him stumbling, his own balance betraying him as he nearly tripped over nothing.
Everything just felt wrong. It was like fighting on ice that wasn’t there. No—worse.
Like his body had forgotten how to agree with itself.
"Perhaps I made a mistake seeking this fight, Defence Minister," Darkday muttered, steadying himself as he faced Sofiya. He slowly raised both hands in surrender. "Though I suppose there’s no withdrawing now that I’ve decapitated your grandson, hm? Would you like to—"
Sofiya moved.
She didn’t let him finish. She slid low across the floor, her leg sweeping toward his ankles. Darkday jumped back, barely avoiding the strike—but Sofiya had already predicted it. She rose in one smooth motion, pivoted, and sprinted toward the corner of the room.
Her hand disappeared behind a plant pot... and came back out with a pistol.
By the time Darkday’s feet touched the ground again, the barrel was already aimed at the back of his head.
"Uh oh," he whispered, turning his head just slightly. Beneath the helmet, however, he was smiling.
So this is it. If she kills me here, I would take her ability for myself. Probability control. A life where everything will go my way. Boring. But also fun if I wanted it to be.
So he stood still, waiting for the shot to come. Waiting for the end... again.
But it didn’t come.
"No," Sofiya said, her voice quiet. "Too easy. I want you to suffer."
The gun lowered—just enough.
She aimed for the back of his thigh, but this time, she fired.
His telekinetic armor was still active, but it faltered under her influence. The bullet punched through his suit, biting half an inch into his flesh before losing momentum and dropping away.
Darkday moved instantly, twisting to the side and spinning into a kick meant to knock the gun from her hand... but his foot stepped on the bullet.
"Oh..." He slipped. Hard. His body slammed against the floor, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs.
"Huh..." he muttered, staring up at the ceiling.
Sofiya stepped into view, standing over him. The pistol hovered three feet from his face.
This time, she fired.
Darkday clenched his teeth and let go of his telekinetic armor. If the bullet went through clean, it would be over.
But it didn’t.
The shot grazed his helmet instead, shattering the visor in a spray of fragments.
"Let’s see who’s under that mask," Sofiya said.
She fired again... and then again—cracking the helmet along both sides. Before Darkday could hold it together, her foot slammed into his head, tearing the mask free and sending it shattering across the floor.
"You..." Sofiya’s voice faltered, her eyes trembling as they reflected Riley’s extremely pale face and clear eyes. "You’re just a child."
"Well..." Riley blinked at her, "...I suppose Darkday One and Miss Thursday were right."
A faint, almost awkward breath left him.
"I was not ready for this at all, Defence Minister Sofiya."
