Chapter 75

EP.75 Electra

On the rooftop of a building.

I stood there, looking down.

Next to me was a large camera.

Looking down at the alley, I opened my mouth.

"This is Ego. Control tower, respond, respond."

[...What's a control tower? What did you see this time? Anyway, I responded.]

"Right. Is it okay to start the operation now?"

[...Yes. This time of day seems most appropriate. I've already shut down all the surrounding CCTVs.]

"Right. Then all we have to do is act. Chae Sehee?"

"...Sigh. Yeah."

"Alright, go. Just follow the plan. Okay?"

"...Okay. But you, you really have to come and get me at the end, right?"

"Of course. That's why I brought the camera. Don't worry."

As I shook the camera I had levitated with my telekinesis, she nodded and took a deep breath.

"...Sigh. I'm starting now."

Chae Sehee, despite her tension, showed a faint sign of excitement on her face and stretched out her hand to the sky.

And so, the terror began.

***

At a crossroads in Seoul.

Cars and people moved busily, and the vitality of a bustling life could be felt here.

In this lively yet peaceful place.

Suddenly, lightning struck.

Boom-.

"Ah!"

Out of nowhere.

A bolt of lightning from a clear sky.

The lightning that fell from the sky was not just one or two.

They all struck the nearby street trees with a loud Boom- Boom-.

"Aaaaah!"

People, taken aback by the sudden situation, began to flee in panic.

Only those in cars, wondering what was happening, stopped and poked their heads out the windows.

And at that moment.

Boom-.

In the center of the crossroads, the largest bolt of lightning, like a giant yellow pillar, fell from the sky with a thunderous roar.

The asphalt of the crossroads was completely torn apart, and the lightning fell with a tremendous force, destroying everything in its path.

Only then did people realize that something was seriously wrong, and they fled in panic, honking their horns.

In the center of the crossroads, as the smoke from where the lightning had struck cleared, a woman appeared.

Her orange hair, tied in a ponytail, was blowing in the wind.

She looked as if she was floating in the air, with an electric storm emanating from her legs.

Thus, she appeared, sprinkling electricity in the air.

After revealing herself for the first time, she took a deep breath and let out a battle cry.

And at the same time.

Hundreds, thousands of sparks, too numerous to count with the naked eye, began to shoot out intensely in all directions from her body, starting to destroy everything in the crossroads.

This fact was immediately reported to the Association.

That a villain was causing terror in the middle of Seoul.

***

Shin Haru.

She appears to be an ordinary college student, but she has a secret that she can't tell anyone.

In fact, she is an A-class hero, StarDust.

She attends university classes, but she is not usually on campus.

Except when she is with a senior at a cafe or at home, she is usually in her office at the Hero Association.

She receives information about villains at any time and her office is the most convenient place to respond when a villain appears, so she is usually there when she is not meeting a senior during the day.

Right now.

Sitting in her office at the Hero Association, she was looking at a website she habitually checks on her computer.

*

[EGOSTICK Fan Cafe Statement]

We, the 100,000 Mango Team,

For two months, EgoStick, the elegant and new paradigm genius thinker, has not caused any terror.

Despite the appeals of supporters, he has gone into hiding without a trace of blood or tears.

We demand severe punishment for the evil and inhuman villain 'EgoStick'.

EgoStick, end your hiding and give us news right now!!!!!

Please.... I might die if this continues....

Why don't you come? Why don't you come? Why don't you come? Why don't you come?

=[Comments]=

[Supporting you^^]

[It's not EgoStick, it's BongoStick]

[Seriously, it's been over three months, very passive]

[Is a terrorist? Not causing terror? Isn't that dereliction of duty?]

[I'm cold... Why don't you come]

[StarDust is the only one not working, and everyone else is unhappy, right? lol]

[Yeah, the Mango Team says they're bored to death these days]

[Why?]

[No mango, so only the jerks come out and it's not impressive, everyone is one-shot lol]

[Oh lol, thinking about it, I always called for StarDust]

[Without EgoStick, StarDust is like a rice cake without red bean paste]

[But even so, StarDust seems to be happy and smiling these days, right? lol]

*

"Ha..."

Haru, sighing as she watched them laugh and chat, unaware of anything.

To her, EgoStick... no matter how she thought about it, seemed to be already dead. That was her thought.

And whenever this fact was brought to mind, she always felt a slight pain in her chest.

...What's so important about the death of just one villain?

Why does it bother her and make her feel guilty?

With a slightly downcast mood, she sat there blankly.

The door of the office burst open, and an Association agent entered.

"StarDust. Another villain has appeared in the city! Please respond immediately!"

"...Understood."

She stood up from her seat.

Regardless of her current mood, as a hero, she had to act.

Immediately, she moved to subdue the villain.

***

Sky.

Wearing her suit, she flew through the air toward the scene, receiving reports from the Association as she went.

[The suspect appears to be a woman in her 20s and seems to have the ability to use electricity.]

[She is randomly destroying objects in the crossroads, but all citizens have evacuated, so there are no casualties.]

[A B-class hero nearby attempted to subdue her but was immediately hit and is now unable to fight.]

[Please be cautious.]

"Understood."

Having grasped the general situation, she continued toward the scene, deep in thought.

Anyway, she would subdue the villain with a few strikes.

Most villains can no longer match her power.

...Except for EgoStick, who always had a backup.

"Tsk."

Thinking about him again, she shook her head and focused.

When fighting a villain, one must always concentrate as much as possible.

After flying for a while, she arrived at her destination and observed the situation from above.

The crossroads, now deserted as people had fled.

In the center, a figure surrounded by numerous electric discharges was visible.

In the midst of the electric storm, she was firing electricity at the surrounding objects.

The street trees, traffic lights, utility poles, transformers, asphalt, and building exteriors in the crossroads were all devastated.

There were no casualties yet, but if this continued, who knew what would happen. From the current state, it seemed her power was out of control. Immediate subjugation was necessary.

Having made her decision, she descended from the sky.

Boom. Landing as a hero, she touched the ground.

The villain reacted to the sound.

Stopping her random destruction and turning her head, she looked at StarDust.

The villain, with her orange hair flowing, looked at StarDust and said, as if she had expected it.

"Ah. You're StarDust, right?"

"Villain. Stop your terrorist activities immediately and surrender. If you don't surrender now, I will subdue you."

Following the manual, StarDust shouted at the villain.

The villain, with her orange hair, smiled sardonically and replied.

"Surrender? I don't want to."

At the same time, she fired an electric bolt at her.

StarDust dodged and flew toward the villain to capture her.

At the same time, the villain caused an electric storm and flew into the sky.

Rising high, she fired sparks from her hands at StarDust and the people watching.

"My name is... Electra!"

The villain, Electra, surrounded by electricity from head to toe, smiled and said to StarDust.

"I came to face you for him."

As she said this, she fired electric beams in all directions.

StarDust dodged the electric attacks and clenched her teeth.

I don't know what she means by coming to face me or who 'he' is.

But I'll find out naturally once I subdue her.

StarDust clenched her fist and plunged back into the storm of electricity.

The battle began.

***

Meanwhile, the entire scene was being broadcast live on TV by a news helicopter hovering in the sky.

As people watched the battle on their TVs and phones, wondering what was happening.

I was standing on the rooftop of a nearby building, watching the scene live.

Wow, Chae Sehee. It's worth all the one-on-one training I gave her.

Look at how she's holding her own against StarDust. Is this real? It makes my chest swell with pride...

Still, eventually, she'll start to lose as time goes on, so I'll have to step in at that point.

I ate the popcorn I had brought in advance and watched the live battle.

"Interesting."

Indeed, popcorn is a must for watching a fight.

The popcorn is sweet, sweet.