"World of Heroes and Villains...."
Dejan's eyes reflected the disfigured bodies of those under the Dollmaker's control.
"I must agree. This level of grotesque actions is outside my norm. As a matter of fact, I find it quite unpleasant."
"Really? I thought a decorated General like yourself would be used to this level of gore."
Dollmaker moved the bodies and caused some body parts, barely attached, to dangle.
"No, I'm used to the blood and guts. What I find unpleasant is how I can tell you're torturing these people for the fun of it. Is it part of the Villain's job description?"
Dollmaker laughed.
"I like how you can keep your nerves enough to joke around."
He pointed behind Dejan.
"Too bad your children don't have your nerves of steel."
Dejan looked behind him. The twins were still aiming their cannon arms in front of them. However, their arms were trembling. Their breathing was irregular, their eyes quivered in their skulls, and their faces ashen.
"Hey, Mira and Kira."
The twins flinched when Dollmaker called their names.
"From your reactions, I take it this is your first time killing innocent people?"
The twins didn't answer, but their breathing quickened further. Dollmaker let out a laugh, seething in mockery.
"Don't worry, it's always rough the first time. However, you'll get used it pretty quickly."
He continued to laugh while the twins showed more signs of panic.
"Mira, Kira."
The twins looked at their mother after she called out to them.
"You two did nothing wrong."
"B-But Mommy..."
"I said you did nothing wrong, Mira. Everything is because of that Villain."
"While it's true I turned these innocent people into meat shields..."
Dollmaker drew a severely injured woman to his side and made her point at the twins.
"I only targeted these people because I was after you two, Mira and Kira of Kismet. So, in actuality, this is all your fault."
The hostages started ballroom dancing around the Dollmaker. Those without legs cried as they walked on the stumps of flesh attached to their hips.
"These people's pain, anguish, and miserable end is all your fault!"
He kissed the bloodied hand of the woman before dancing with her.
"You're quite the creepy, disgusting bastard. Are all Villains like this?"
Dejan spoke without much emotion. Dollmaker ignored him and continued his dance party. Dejan glanced back at his children. They were still visibly shaken up. No, they were worse than before after Dollmaker's words. He peeked at his wife, who was stone-faced.
(She's trying to keep calm, but I can tell Vesna is greatly troubled. She wants to help the kids, but doesn't know how. To be honest, anyone would have a hard time figuring out the right words to say, but she's socially awkward and aware of that. So she might believe she's lacking the emotional intelligence needed to help her beloved children. This must be a huge mental blow.)
Dejan unknowingly smiled.
"Successfully attacking both parent and child in different ways with one move. I'm honestly impressed. Truly a Villain."
The smile left his face as quickly as it came.
"However, this is my wife and kids. So, I must return the favour."
Dollmaker stopped his dance party and looked at Dejan.
"General, you really are a heartless person. Does the suffering of innocents mean nothing to you?"
"Innocents? They seem like corpses to me."
"Huh?"
Dejan's words puzzled the Dollmaker. Dejan called out to his wife.
"Vesna, you said you didn't sense any life under the rubble earlier, right?"
"I did."
"You have better senses than me, so I trust your judgement."
Dejan pointed at the Dollmaker.
"Do those hostages have life?"
".....No."
Vesna answered after a few seconds.
"Huh? What nonsense are you spouting?"
Dollmaker grabbed the hair of a child and they cried as he pulled their hair.
"These people are alive and suffering."
He released the child.
"Wait, are you trying to say I'm controlling corpses to clear your children's conscience?"
He burst out laughing.
"Too bad. I can only control live people! Your children hurt innocent people and they have to live with that!"
"Yeah, they did."
Dollmaker's laugh stopped after Dejan's words.
"There's no denying what they did, even if unintentional. They'll need to live with that and get over it in time."
"Damn, you really are a heartless person."
"I prefer to call myself a realist."
Dejan removed his jacket and revealed two gun holsters. Seeing this, his wife brought her cannon arm down. The twins absentmindedly copied her.
"Dollmaker, let me tell you why I asked for my wife's judgment, as thanks for your hospitality."
"Nah, I'm good."
Dollmaker moved his hands and weapons flew towards his hostages. They were all quickly armed. They fired at the family without hesitation. Vesna and the twins turned into shields and blocked the bullets aimed at Dejan.
"Their first instinct is the protect him. What a good famil--"
One of the hostages' heads exploded, and their blood splashed Dollmaker. Before he could react, the same happened to several other hostages. Dollmaker made the hostages stop attacking. Vesna and the twins moved away from Dejan, revealing him holding twin pistols.
"You killed them? Innocent hostages?"
Confusion overflowed from Dollmaker's voice.
"Hostages? I already said they looked like corpses to me."
Dejan spoke with a detached tone as if the hostages' death had nothing to do with him.
"The reason I asked my wife if she sensed life from those people wasn't to comfort my children; it was to confirm something. Thanks to her, I figured out your ability and how you normally fight."
"Really?"
Dollmaker sounded audibly annoyed.
"I know the hostages' lives are linked to yours, which is why my wife can't sense them and only you. So if we kill you, they die too. I assume you shared this fact with Heroes and they're forced to let you go to keep their righteous images. They're Heroes after all. Can't go sacrificing innocents."
Dollmaker kept quiet, but Dejan continued.
"I also know your power is a parasitic type from how your life is linked with your victims'. Since you haven't taken control of any of my family or myself, your ability has a criterion for activation. I'm gonna go on the limb and say that it's touch."
"Well don—"
"Also, I know who you are."
Dejan smiled as he cut off the Dollmaker.
"Using the information I know, you have to be someone who was at the restaurant when we arrived. Someone who knew our appointment. Someone who could come in contact with all the staff and customers at the restaurant before we arrived. Like a waiter."
Dollmaker stayed silent for a bit before clapping.
"What gave it away?"
"The moment you didn't write down our order. That and you were the only waiter I saw at the restaurant; something odd for an establishment of that level."
"I see....I should take note and do a better job next time."
Several heads burst around Dollmaker.
"There won't be a next time."
Dejan pointed his pistols at Dollmaker.
"....You purposely killed those that your wife and kids damaged. Are you trying to take their sins on as your own?"
"I don't really know much about the world of Heroes and Villains because I don't care for either. So, I've simply decided to destroy your attempts of spread your world dynamics here."
A grin spread across his face.
"A corpse is a corpse; what order I bury them is merely my whim."
Dollmaker moved his hands and the hostages all formed a wall in front of him with their weapons, aiming at Dejan.
"Kill--!"
A thunderous clap shook the area and the meat-wall of hostages was obliterated before Dollmaker could attack. He was blown back with his arms destroyed beyond repair.
"I thought you researched us since you addressed me and my wife by our military titles, but it seemed you only did surface research."
Dejan approached Dollmaker while he withered in pain.
"Then again, my ability is not really known even among my colleagues. My children also inherited their mother's power, so it remained a little secret, I guess."
He stooped down and slapped the mask off Dollmaker's face with his gun.
"My ability is pretty simple. It's called Enhance."
Dejan jammed his gun nozzle in his mouth, even breaking some teeth.
"It just increases the power of anything I perceive as a weapon. I became so good at using it that I can make a gunshot rival a tank missile."
Dollmaker looked up at Dejan while pain spread through his body.
"You've said I'm heartless earlier, right? I wouldn't go so far. I'm just a soldier, not a Hero. Heroes are shackled by the goal of keeping a good image; they must put protecting others above everything else. We soldiers are the same on paper, but how we protect is different."
Dollmaker's terrified expression reflected in Dejan's eyes as his detached voice entered his ears
"We protect by winning by any means necessary."
Four deafening explosions echoed. Dollmaker let out a muzzled scream as he wiggled in pain. Dejan had used his other gun to blow off Dollmaker's arms and legs. He knocked him unconscious before standing up.
"I'll take you for interrogation on how you knew where we were and why you attacked."
Dejan wore a small smile as he looked down on the defeated Villain.
"Welcome to the World of Soldiers, Villain."