Villain's POV: The Heroines Want Me!

"Do you want to sit down now?" Venera asked as she sat down on the bench and tapped the place next to her. Rize looked at it before he nodded and sat next to her. The two remained in silence for a bit before Venera finally broke it.

"I've known from my father that you will be arriving today. I'm sorry, I couldn't personally welcome you. I had some important stuff to do."

"Yeah, it's ok. Rob took care of everything." Rize replied. "He taught me everything I needed to know."

"I see…" Venera replied in a rather wistful tone as if something was on her mind. Rize noticed that look on her face and was confused.

"Is everything ok, Venera?" He asked.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, nothing is wrong. It is just… A bit odd how 9 years have passed so quickly. It felt like yesterday I said goodbye to you."

"Yeah, indeed… Time flies. But this was all a preparation for what is coming ahead." Rize said. "It is why I'm here now, Venera. Your dad asked me to protect you, and I will fulfill that."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Venera was taken aback but still could only smile. Even though Rize had clearly matured a lot, the same look was still in his eyes. The look that made her curious about him in the first place all those years ago.

"You seem very confident." She said with a smug face. "What if I turn out to be stronger than you, Rize?"

"Well, how bad could it be? Me, a nobody, and you, the princess of this kingdom and one of the most talented and smartest people in the world… Surely the difference isn't big." Rize said with a sarcastic tone, which made Venera chuckle.

"I'm sure you have made good use of the past few years to train and learn, no?" She asked. "Mr Nobody."

"I think I've done a decent job. But I won't get too ahead of myself. I'm sure you also didn't waste time idling around." Rize said as he watched her stand up.

"Well, should we put it to the test?" Venera said. "For old time's sake?"

"Right now? Here?" Rize looked around him. The place was empty of people, but it was still quite visible, so he was curious if that would cause a problem.

However, Venera didn't seem to care whatsoever as she stood in the middle of the path and beckoned for him to face her.

"Sigh… If you wish for it, Your Highness." Rize rolled his eyes as he stood up and walked forward till he stopped before her.

Staring at her for a second, Rize realized something. He didn't know if it was merely a feeling or if his intuition was telling the truth, but… Venera's entire persona shifted the moment they faced each other.

Her cool, calm, and friendly air was replaced with something far more dangerous and sharp, ready to attack. He realized that she was taking that fight very seriously.

Suddenly, the warm weather around him felt colder as Venera took a fighting stance.

"Don't hold back, Rize." She said calmly.

"I wouldn't dare."

Taking his stance, Rize finally forgot about everything else and focused on the fight. This was his first true test ever since he left the forest, and it was against none other than the person he was supposed to protect.

'Things are already bizarre and the first day hasn't even passed yet.' He thought to himself as he watched the princess carefully. For a few seconds, neither moved until…

*Swish*

Venera suddenly dashed forward out of nowhere, closing the distance in a split second before she launched a punch toward his face. It was lightning quick, way faster than he remembered. Rize, however, was ready as he quickly blocked the hit before he launched an attack of his own, aiming for the princess' solar plexus.

However, his hand was grabbed by Venera, stopping it in its place before she suddenly shoved her leg forward. Rize quickly flipped his arm, blocking that attack too. With that momentum, Venera flipped back several feet, creating distance before she attacked again, not giving him a room to breathe.

In less than a second, she sent several attacks in quick succession, aiming for Rize's weakest points. The boy moved with the same speed, blocking and dodging each attack as he tried to counter with his own.

The two found themselves exchanging blows in the blink of an eye. After growing up, their speed, strength, and physical abilities increased severalfold, and so did their fighting technique.

These two looked completely unrecognizable from the two who fought 9 years ago.

'She's so fast and relentless… She also knows how to pressure me and aim for every weak spot I have. What a terrifying freak of nature.' Rize clenched his teeth as he finally completely locked onto the battle. Instantly, the momentum shifted as Rize started attacking more, putting Venera in a defensive stance.

Their attacks were so complex and sharp that it appeared like a choreographed dance rather than a fight.

Venera was surprised by how fast things shifted, and she had to completely defend the attacks coming at her from every angle. Each attack was heavy and sharp, aiming for every single spot she didn't want it to aim for.

'His speed is impressive. He also mastered his technique completely. You've really been training hard, Rize…' She thought to herself, feeling quite thrilled by that fact. A part of Venera was worried that Rize might change for the worse after all these years and lose that spark that captured her eyes.

However, surprisingly, Rize had completely blown her expectations out of the window. He was a terrifying freak of nature, and it was apparent that his potential was limitless.

*BANG* *BANG*

Sending two straight punches at Venera, she blocked the first and guided the second to the side before she tried to elbow Rize. However, he quickly grabbed her elbow before he tried to twist her around and hook her hands. However, Venera quickly stomped his foot, making him lose balance before she freed herself.

"Hah… Hah… Hah…"

The two stared at each other, their breaths uneven and fast. However, their eyes were filled with so much thrill and excitement that they didn't even realize it.

It was fun. Incredibly fun. Something about their fight felt simply too enjoyable. It wasn't merely exchanging blows; it was a battle of wits and intelligence. Each one of them was trying to outsmart the other.

They pushed each other to the limit, and that was something completely new to them.

"Normal guy, huh?" Venera asked.

"Normal guy," Rize replied. "I'm simply lucky."

Venera rolled her eyes. "Shall we continue?"

"Of course."

Then, in a split second, the two engaged in the duel again. In the dark garden of the Royal Palace, Venera and Rize's silhouettes could be seen from afar, moving around. What they didn't realize was that not far away from them, someone was indeed watching the battle from the shadows.

They couldn't sense their presence, nor the faint smile that appeared on the silhouette's face as they watched the scene.

"This is about to get even more interesting~"