Chapter 83

EP.83 Battle of the Strongest

On the outskirts of the metropolitan area.

In this place, filled with ruins and debris, where everyone else had evacuated.

A massive weapon made of heavy armor stood proudly.

Its head was in the shape of an overturned hemisphere, with two long arms extended. It had an extremely large and tall body and legs.

The massive weapon, which looked incredibly dangerous at first glance.

And, in front of it.

A single person, almost invisible in comparison, was floating in the air.

She, Stardus, was looking directly at the weapon, which was dozens or hundreds of times larger than herself, with her long blonde hair fluttering, showing no fear.

And, in the cockpit of the massive weapon, facing her, was me, Egoistic.

"Oh my. This place is completely in ruins, isn't it?"

I smiled and spoke into the microphone.

Then, from a speaker attached somewhere on the massive weapon, my voice echoed loudly.

The decibel level was high enough to directly reach Stardus's ears, which were right in front of me.

"I also have this impulse to just march straight into Seoul with this thing..."

I said, grinning.

"Well, whether I do it or not, Stardus, it all depends on you. If you defeat me here, I'll back off willingly. But if I win? I'll run straight to make Seoul a sea of fire."

"So."

I said that much, then manipulated the machine to wiggle my fingers at her and continued.

"Come on in first."

The moment I finished speaking, she was already flying towards me, her blonde hair fluttering, her fist clenched.

She seems to be laughing. Must be my imagination, right?

Anyway, it's finally time to show off the skills I've honed over the years through fighting games.

I put my hands on the controls and shouted to my companions behind me.

"Everyone, hold on tight! We're about to get into a serious fight!"

Then, I manipulated the machine to make it clench its fist.

Let's start the real fight.

***

Stardus.

Despite facing a massive robot that dwarfed her, she felt no fear.

...Well, to be honest, she did feel a bit intimidated. It was several times larger than herself, so it was natural to feel some pressure.

However.

Perhaps it was because of Egoistic's confident smile as he called her.

Or perhaps it was because his promise that he wouldn't destroy Seoul if she defeated him seemed to motivate her, as if he was saying, "If you don't want to see this, you must win."

Or maybe it was because, standing in front of this massive machine, she wasn't really afraid.

When she was in a situation that seemed insurmountable and felt defeated before, she remembered his voice saying,

"You can do it."

"....Right."

She muttered to herself, smiling without realizing it.

Let's see how this goes.

With that, she clenched her fist and flew towards the massive robot.

The robot also began to extend its fist.

The prelude to the battle began.

***

"Here it is! The moment when Stardus and Egoistic's giant weapon collide! Wow, even though the camera is so far away, the shockwave is reaching here. Egoistic is blocking Stardus's attack from the side. Ah, Egoistic's counterattack! The massive arm is flying towards Stardus! Stardus narrowly avoids it!"

[Egoistic and Stardus's fighting level is really real? This is truly a battle of the world's strongest. Is that really Stardus? My heart swells...]

[Stardus is dodging well, lol]

[How is Stardus dealing with that big thing? Is this a fixed match?]

[Stardus can even lift a falling airplane, lol, it's too much]

[This battle will probably just add to her resume, lol, fighting a villain in a giant weapon]

[They're fighting on equal terms, lol]

[Will this finally be the time Stardus gets promoted to S-rank?]

[But isn't Mango (Egoistic) the one who just stole that robot? Why is he so good at controlling it, lol]

[Our Mango is multi-talented, lol]

[Seriously, Egoistic should be promoted to S-rank. He's outshining most S-rank heroes so far]

[Seriously, after defeating those crazy Han Group guys, he should be promoted to S-rank hero]

[I'm not in the Mango fan club, but I agree]

[Fact: The only Mango fan club is here, as marked on the fan club map]

[But there's also the Stardust fan club, -.-]

[If you're a disappointed Mango fan because Egoistic isn't streaming, lol]

[Why are we even in the news chat room? Why isn't EgoStream streaming?]

[But today, the firepower seems a bit low? Is it because it's not an official Egoistic stream?]

[It's probably because the Seoul southern disaster alert went off, and everyone evacuated]

[But I'm watching this stream on the street after escaping with my family, lol]

[Crazy, lol]

[But Stardus is really fighting well, lol]

***

How much time had passed since the battle began?

They were still fighting.

[Ha ha ha! Is that all you've got, Stardus? Try harder!]

The laughter coming from the massive robot.

Stardus clenched her teeth as she heard it.

She was panting from the prolonged battle, clearly exhausted.

Her condition, barely dodging his attacks while sweating, didn't look good, but the robot's condition wasn't much better.

Unlike its pristine appearance at the start, it was now emitting smoke from somewhere due to her continuous attacks.

Though it was in better shape than the exhausted Stardus, who was struggling to fly, it was clearly taking a beating.

She clenched her teeth again.

Yes, to be honest.

With her current skills, it seemed difficult to win.

The size difference was too great.

She only needed to hit it once, but she had to attack it from all directions.

Additionally, the punches he swung, made of steel, delivered a significant impact each time, almost making her body vibrate.

Although her abilities had improved a lot compared to before, she was still at a disadvantage.

[Are you already tired? Is this all you've got!!!]

His voice, followed by another punch from the weapon.

"Ugh."

She barely blocked it, letting out a groan.

Her body was exhausted, and she couldn't muster any more strength.

Even flying was becoming a challenge.

For a normal person, this would be a hopelessly desperate situation.

However.

She hadn't given up yet.

Shin Haru.

Was this the first time she faced such a desperate situation?

No, she had felt defeated before.

I can't win, I can't do anything.

"You can do it."

But she had overcome it, hadn't she?

Exhausted and panting, she rekindled her determination.

No, she couldn't give up here.

She took a deep breath and ran towards the massive weapon.

She would definitely, as he expected, bring him down.

And.

[Oh? That's it! This is what I wanted to see!]

[Bro, control it properly!]

[Hey, be careful!]

"...."

Behind the machine, the voices of some women could be heard, barely audible behind his words.

She clenched her teeth and her fist without realizing it.

Another reason to bring down the massive weapon.

She would find out who those women were, who seemed to be with him.

With a strength she didn't know she had, she charged at the massive weapon again.

***

"Right, that's it!"

I shouted without realizing it.

Stardus, who had been getting more and more exhausted, seemed to have renewed her resolve and was now charging at me with all her might.

Despite the complaints from the women behind me due to my aggressive control, I remained unfazed.

This is the opportunity to make Stardus grow explosively!

From now on, crazy strong villains will keep appearing, so she needs to get stronger to handle them.

Especially now, this is the best opportunity for growth.

Just like how lifting weights is most effective when you're so exhausted you can't even move a finger.

She will grow and break through her limits when she continues to fight despite being in an extremely difficult state.

In other words, this is the perfect time for her to become much stronger.

"Ha ha ha! More! Attack more!!!!"

I dealt with Stardus with a voice drenched in madness, while my mind raced.

If I keep this up, she'll be much stronger in a few hours.

After pretending to make a few mistakes and falling, I can say, "Oh, you beat me!" and run away.

Good, the plan is perfect!

Black. It's been so long since everything has gone so smoothly according to plan.

It's touching.

***

Hero Association.

Operations Control Room.

"Good job! Right, a direct uppercut! Wow, that's clean. Haru definitely has a good sense. Hmm."

The association president, munching on popcorn, watched the battle between Stardus and Egoistic on the large monitor on the wall.

An employee rushed up to him.

"President!"

"What is it?"

"The President, the President...!"

The employee's words made the president's face stiffen.

"He... He launched missiles at the scene!"

"Ah..."

The president, hearing this, dropped the popcorn bucket he was holding without realizing it.

A low mutter escaped his lips.

"...Shit."

***