Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 128

The Strongest Hero

Seoul had transformed into the epicenter of a national disaster.
While the Han River still flowed quietly, the sky above it was no longer peaceful.
Explosions and flames obscured the sky, with white and black smoke intertwining and swirling like clouds.
Large buildings collapsed and burned, while magical and dark energy waves clashed, causing the asphalt to flip or become riddled with holes.
Vehicles lay abandoned in chaos, and citizens had taken refuge in underground facilities, fervently hoping for the victory of South Korea’s heroes.
―Stay strong! Stay strong! Stay strong! Stay strong!
―Kill all those damn villains!
―You can do it! We’re cheering for you. We’re watching you!
―Our eternal hero, Sword Emperor, fighting! Flame Emperor and Electric Guy, fighting! Yoho, Poker Boy, and Machine Commander, hang in there a bit more! Soldiers and the rest of the heroes, fighting! Let’s all survive together!
Even in despair, the flame of hope seemed unextinguished.
Elderly people who found it difficult to type in the chat shouted at the top of their lungs, while those who couldn’t muster the strength clasped their hands in prayer.
The foundation of the nation remained firm.
Soldiers and special forces equipped with magitech gear were holding back the advance of monsters crossing through the rifts, and A-rank and above heroes were gaining the upper hand against notorious villains.
―DRR leadership level, lol. Do they dare to challenge a country with awakened beings?
―Welcome. Is this your first time facing awakened beings?
―We have the Sword Emperor. Get ready to be sliced.
―The Sword Emperor fights, and God Hand cleans up. The Sword Emperor is the father of Korea, and God Hand is the mother. Everyone, our country will not fall. Rest assured!
The biggest reason citizens could endure without succumbing to fear was the presence of the Sword Emperor, an absolutely invincible hero who had reached the level of an awakened being.
For a century, his sword had protected South Korea. He had silently purified disasters with a single sword, even when everyone else despaired and gave up.
Even in the face of a top-tier disaster, the citizens’ spirits remained unbroken.
The Sword Emperor and God Hand, along with the S-rank heroes supporting the nation, would once again protect South Korea magnificently.
– Boom! –
However, today, South Korea’s hope seemed unable to exert its strength.
The hero Sword Emperor had taken a direct hit from the fist of the giant magic soldier resembling a gorilla.
“Ugh!”
– Crash! –
The Sword Emperor’s form was flung into a building. Not stopping there, the young man with demonic wings flew in. He threw a dark red sphere, blowing up the half-destroyed building entirely.
– Rumble… –
Evil energy contaminated the heart of the city. A mushroom cloud rose, obscuring the sky with the massive explosion.
It was the first time witnessing such a sight. The Sword Emperor being overwhelmingly pushed back by villains and monsters.
―Wait, is he acting? Right?
―What’s going on? Why is the Sword Emperor like that? Why is he making us anxious?
―We’re screwed. What will happen to our country…?
―Damn it. You’re not supposed to fall!
The defeat of the Sword Emperor would lead to the collapse of the nation.
Anxiety began to spread in people’s hearts.
[It’s not over yet! The Sword Emperor hasn’t fallen yet. At times like this, we must all come together and cheer for the heroes!]
The announcer and experts on the broadcast shouted fervently.
In response to the voices of the people, a surge of magical energy erupted from within the dust cloud.
– Roar! –
The thick dust cleared in an instant, revealing his sword pointed towards the sky. The demon youth smirked and descended to the ground with his arms crossed.
– Thud! –
The Emperor-class magic soldier also descended to the ground, where only remnants of buildings remained, clenching its fists.
At that moment, the Sword Emperor heard the voice of an old friend in his ear.
―The city-wide protection spell is now ready. Fight to your heart’s content.
The city-wide protection spell.
It was a large-scale barrier protecting the underground shelters in the metropolitan area.
Relieved by the report from his old friend, God Hand, the Sword Emperor let out a sigh of relief. The demon youth, noticing his change in demeanor, sneered.
“Heh, you seem relieved that we didn’t attack your main base first.”
“What do you mean?”
“A large-scale magic spell has just been deployed underground in this city. You must have installed several strategic weapons in the fortress you call ‘Champion Citadel.’ I detected a massive surge of magical energy from that direction. You must have been diligently gathering magic stones.”
“Even if you realize it, it’s already too late.”
– Clang. –
– Hummm―. –
The Sword Emperor brought his sword to his chest and lifted it vertically, emitting a resonant hum.
– Whoosh. –
The air around him began to change. The golden sword split into two, then four, and then eight.
Before long, thirty-two golden swords appeared above his shoulders and head, emitting a clear resonance.
“Oh, is that your ultimate technique? You haven’t even learned the external world’s techniques. Impressive.”
“Let’s see how long you can remain composed.”
– Swoosh―. –
The thirty-two swords flowed gracefully and shot out like beams of light. The demon youth, smirking, summoned five hexagrams in the air to counter.
However, just as the giant arms were about to emerge from the hexagram magic circles, the thirty-two swords abruptly changed direction and pierced the entire body of the gorilla-like magic soldier.
– Thud thud thud thud! –
The magic soldier tried to pull them out with force, but the thirty-two swords of light seemed to be fixed in the air, immobilizing its body.
– Whoosh! –
By then, the Sword Emperor was already flying towards the magic soldier, holding a large golden sword in his right hand.
The speed of his approach and the binding of the target were so fast that the giant hands summoned by the demon youth couldn’t stop the magic soldier from being split vertically.
– Slash! –
Despite this, the Sword Emperor’s expression was not good.
As soon as he leaped into the air, the massive, grotesque hands swept through the spot where he had been.
“Huh, why are your movements so fast? But what should I do? The strength of the magic soldier ‘Gwangrimjang’ that I brought lies in its sturdy physical abilities and regenerative power.”
– Creak. –
The magic soldier, which had been crouching, stood up with a deep wound running from its forehead to its abdomen. Astonishingly, the exposed mechanical tissue inside began to intertwine and the cut started to disappear.
– Flash! –
At that moment, a flash of light appeared to the right of the demon youth, revealing a blond man.
He bowed his head towards the demon youth and then directed intense hostility towards the Sword Emperor.
“I’ve come to lend a hand. We need to kill him to break their morale.”
“Marius, are you daring to demand something from me? Did you secure the opponent’s spiritual energy?”
“Sorry to say, Electric Guy escaped using a spatial leap technique just before his life was taken. It seems to be God Hand’s doing.”
– Swoosh―. –
The Sword Emperor, now outnumbered, recalled his thirty-two swords. The gaping wound on the magic soldier was almost fully healed, and it seemed it would soon be operational again.
– Screech. –
To make matters worse, another figure flew in from the distant sky. It was the silver-haired, red-eyed boy who had been fighting the hero in the red suit.
He urgently spoke up.
“Hurry and deal with the Sword Emperor. Only by killing him can we deliver the promised 5-star spiritual energy.”
“Heh, you two brothers are quite shameless. Well, if you’re in such a hurry, I suppose I can oblige.”
The situation was turning desperate for the hero faction.
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Under the eerie fluorescent lights, hundreds of residents were packed tightly together.
The underground shelter of the apartment complex felt cramped with more people than it was originally designed for, and some had even spread out into the underground parking lot.
Children, not understanding what was happening, cried in their parents’ arms, while the faces of the adults were filled with anxiety and worry.
The shelter had only just turned on the heating, and it was still the dead of winter, but the residents, bundled up in thick clothes, watched the live broadcast.
There were so many people that some had earphones plugged in, accessing the situation on their personal smartphones.
The faint TV screen on the wall repeatedly played scenes of the fierce battles between heroes and villains, and the residents watched with tense expressions.
“Yes, kill them! Blow them away!”
“Oh my, oh my!”
The middle-aged women closed their eyes at the gruesome scenes, while the middle-aged men clenched their fists and reacted intensely.
Ms. B, who had just turned twenty, was among them.
‘It’ll be okay.’
She was scared and terrified.
She held back the tears that threatened to fall. Now was the time to believe in the heroes.
About 30 years ago, top-tier disasters were said to occur frequently. The elders who lived even further back must have faced survival battles every day.
Humanity on Earth had fought a war for survival and was only enjoying a brief period of peace.
– Pat, pat. –
She felt her mother’s comforting touch.
‘Dad would be okay, right? There must be a safe underground shelter at his workplace, right?’
“It’s okay. The heroes will succeed.”
“Sniff. Hng. Hng.”
It was okay. It really was okay. But the sorrow felt like it was about to explode.
She calmed herself and turned her attention back to her smartphone. Her favorite heroes were subduing the monsters.
Sung-ah’s laser beam pierced and scorched the medium and large monsters crossing through the large rift. Jin-soo’s swift sword beheaded the bad guys, and Man-deuk, who had transformed into a bear, bit the neck of a monster that looked similar to him.
She had become accustomed to the bloody mission scenes after watching them continuously.
“Please, let no one get hurt… Heroes, please win. Sword Emperor, Flame Emperor, Yoho, please…”
“Ahhh!”
“No, it can’t be!”
– Gasp! –
The men and women were horrified. Could it be that an S-rank hero had died? Ms. B’s head snapped towards the wall-mounted TV in the shelter.
“The Sword Emperor…”
The Sword Emperor was being pushed back. It seemed as though the light and hope of South Korea were fading.
Crying erupted from all around. Both children and adults wailed. B also cried out in anguish.
“Four against one is really too much!”
She desperately missed a hero who had disappeared a few months ago. S-rank hero, Isaac. Our dashing leader… Experts had speculated about his death, but Flame Emperor and Yoho, who had accompanied him on his last mission, confidently stated in interviews that the leader was definitely alive.
But why hasn’t he shown up yet?
“Sniff. Hnggggg.”
Tears streamed down her face. As soon as she hugged her mother, the tears burst forth like a faucet.
“Mom, I love you. I’m happy to be your daughter… Waaah!”
“You silly girl! It’s not over yet. Don’t say such anxious things. Sniff, our country is strong, right? We’ve turned things around before! I’m serious! Sniff.”
The underground shelter became a place of lamentation.
Amidst people confirming their love for each other and writing their wills, B decided to check Isaac’s live channel one last time.
She wanted to leave a final message on his channel.
[On]
“…Huh?”
But the live broadcast was on. Was it a platform error?
For some reason, the number of viewers quickly grew from 10 to 100, from 100 to 1,000, and then to tens of thousands in an instant.
As she covered her mouth, the viewers’ chat messages started flooding in.
―I knew you’d come back, Isaac!
―Isaac, we missed youㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
―Why did you come so lateㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
―Please, quickly defeat those villains!!!!
The leader had returned.
Ms. B burst into uncontrollable sobs.
“Hwaaaaaaah!”