Chapter 84

EP.84 Acknowledgment

It had been quite a while since Stardust had faced a giant weapon.

"....Ha. Ha."

During the continuous battle, she stopped her attacks to catch her breath, standing a little away from it.

Fortunately, it seemed to give her a chance to rest, as it did not chase her to attack.

Thanks to that, she was able to take a moment to catch her breath.

"...Phew."

She was wiping the sweat from her face in mid-air, looking extremely exhausted.

The suit she was wearing clung to her body so tightly that it was almost see-through.

Her blonde hair, a symbol of her identity, was being blown about by the wind.

In such a situation, she tried to objectively assess herself.

Her current condition was far from good.

Except for these brief moments of rest, she had been flying around non-stop, fighting a weapon several times her size for hours. In fact, just standing there was a feat.

Her body was already pushed to the limit, and it wouldn't be surprising if she collapsed at any moment.

In this extreme situation, where even clenching a fist was difficult,

she paradoxically felt her power gradually growing.

"......"

In her weakened state, trying to produce the same output as when she was in good condition,

she pushed herself to the limit, drawing on her strength.

Unconsciously, her abilities were breaking through their limits.

Like an athlete running with sandbags to improve their skills,

the more she gritted her teeth and tried to exert her usual strength in this dire situation, the more she felt something stirring inside her.

Her dormant power, which had been stagnant for a while, was gradually growing.

A little more, just a little more stimulation, and she felt it would grow explosively.

With this thought, she unconsciously looked at the cockpit of the giant weapon, where Egos was likely seated.

Did he know that her power could grow in this way and deliberately set this up?

...Perhaps, for this very reason?

'You can do it.'

Thinking of his voice echoing in her ear, she shook her head.

Even if that were the case, it couldn't have gone this far.

Perhaps...

After resting sufficiently, she took a deep breath and prepared to resume the battle.

Yes, whether it was his intention or not, this was a great opportunity to grow her power. The stronger her abilities, the better she could protect citizens from villains.

For now, she would focus on defeating him.

With this resolve, just as she was about to take another step,

a voice suddenly came from the earphone she had forgotten was in her ear.

[Stardust. Stardust, can you hear me?]

"President...?"

She was heading back to the weapon and involuntarily stopped in her tracks.

Why was he contacting her now, when she was in the middle of a battle?

As if in response to her question, the President's voice came through the earphone.

[The plan has changed. Prepare to withdraw soon.]

"....What?"

She couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion at the President's words. She was just breaking through her limits and fighting well, so why withdraw? The situation wasn't particularly unfavorable.

Just as she was about to question it, the President continued in a low voice.

[The President has launched a GOAB at that location. It's about to hit the giant weapon, so get out of there when the timing is right.]

"...What did he launch?"

[...GOAB-3. It's a stealth-guided missile. It can almost destroy an entire area and is the most powerful missile available at this moment. It's already on its way there.]

The moment she heard this, she felt her face turn pale. A missile? Here?

But wait.

"...Can a missile even take it down?"

[Yes. It was developed in secret. Its power is so great that if it were in the middle of a city, it would destroy it and be unusable, but because Egos moved to the outskirts, they could launch it.]

"Are you crazy? Even if that's the case, how can you launch something like that here?"

[What do you want me to say? It's the President's decision. He said he wants to eliminate this villain who's causing chaos in the country once and for all. To boost government credibility.]

As she listened, the excited Stardust tried to calm down and regain her composure.

Yes, an A-class villain. The justification is clear. There might not be another opportunity like this. Especially since he's trapped inside the weapon and can't assess the surroundings.

"......"

Stardust's face hardened as she listened.

The government and the association are serious.

They plan to destroy both the giant weapon and Egos here.

...Yes. In fact, it's not uncommon to kill a villain who can't be captured.

Many A-class villains, including Egos, are already on the list for immediate execution.

So,

is Egos going to die here?

"......"

No.

He will realize the missile is coming.

He always seemed to know everything, looking down on her as if he was always one step ahead. He will definitely know.

Yes, he will probably run away. He can teleport.

Right?

[Finally, you've returned, Stardust! How long do you plan to keep me waiting?]

As she quietly returned, the loud voice of Egos came from the giant weapon.

...A villain who waits for the hero to rest before continuing the fight.

"....."

With renewed complex feelings about Egos, she thought.

Yes.

He will definitely run away during the battle. Of course, he will.

And there's still time before the missile arrives. He will flee soon.

With this thought, she continued the battle as if nothing was wrong.

But her mind was conflicted.

He will realize and run away, right? He will.

He must already know.

[Why can't you focus on the battle? Pay attention!]

Perhaps because she was distracted, he noticed something was off and shouted at her to focus.

...How ironic. Wouldn't it be better for him if the enemy wasn't focused?

[Stardust. The missile will hit soon. You should start running.]

And after some time, the President's voice came through her ear.

Hearing his words, she looked at Egos again.

[Ha ha ha ha ha!]

Swinging his massive arms wildly, he showed no signs of caution.

It didn't seem like he knew a missile was about to hit him.

"......"

Then, if she does nothing, he will die.

Looking at him, she thought about him again.

Egos. He is definitely a villain. The terrorist attacks he has caused are numerous.

So, if the government wants to kill him, it's not unjust. It's only natural. Dangerous villains should be eliminated when possible.

But,

is this really how it should end for him?

She thought.

In the face of his impending death.

She didn't deny him

and for the first time, honestly

thought about Egos.

Egos. At first, she had seen him like any other villain, someone who terrorized people for thrills and committed terrorism for his own amusement, simply put, a 'bad guy.'

But when did it start?

When she realized that no one had died in his terrorist attacks?

When she learned that the villains he killed were all dangerous?

When he stopped her from intervening at the festival and took action himself?

When he told her he believed in her when she didn't believe in herself?

When he pretended to be a hero to intervene at another villain's crime scene?

When he confessed that he collapsed the bridge to save people?

She couldn't pinpoint exactly when it started.

But at some point, she...

In the midst of fighting the giant weapon he was in,

with her blonde hair flying,

facing his impending death, she finally admitted it.

At some point, she

no longer thought he was bad.

She didn't know exactly why.

When she looked at him, she didn't feel the evil that she usually sensed from other villains.

Sometimes, she thought there might be hidden reasons for his actions and his hostility towards her.

Egos is definitely a villain.

Definitely a villain, yet why...

Whenever she looked at him, she felt a strange sense of kinship.

At some point, she stopped thinking of him as a villain.

She thought he was acting differently from his true self.

At this moment, she realized.

She wanted to believe in Egos. No, she had already been believing in him without realizing it.

He, like her, wanted to save people.

Perhaps there were unavoidable reasons for his terrorism.

At some point, she had started looking for reasons why Egos wasn't a villain.

At that moment, she acknowledged her feelings for him and made a decision.

Egos cannot die like this.

And,

'This time... you owe me one.'

He had saved her once, hadn't he?

She owed him, didn't she?

Yes, he cannot die like this.

She would stop that missile.

After a moment of silence, she quietly whispered to the association.

"....I'm sorry."

[What? Stardust? Stardust? What is it? Hey! Shin Haru!]

She removed the earphone connected to the association from her ear.

And at that moment, her resolve was set.

Her actions were swift.

She pushed off and flew into the sky.

Toward the direction the missile was coming from.

***

[Stardust, what are you doing?]

[Are you running away???]

[If you're running, why are you going up, not to the side? What are you doing??]

[Our Stardust has gone crazy!!!]

[She's shooting up like a rocket ㄷㄷ]

"What is she doing?"

I couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief.

Why is she suddenly shooting up into the sky in the middle of a fight? Is this some kind of hidden camera?

"Maybe she's under so much stress that she's exploding and flying up?"

"...I don't think so."

I raised my head from the cockpit and watched Stardust continue to fly upward.

Really,

what's going on??