That’s How They Became Villains

#45. Ruler of the Underworld -4-

There’s a saying that when you experience something too shocking, your thinking becomes paralyzed.

That was exactly how Yu-ha Chae felt right now.

Actually, she had expected Last to come in eventually since the protagonist always appears at the very last moment.

How many times had she been aided by this inexplicable sort of “rule”?

But that was different.

That robot, holding a plasma blade burning with blue light in one hand, having cut the factory door in half with a single stroke was S-class hero, Athena.

She had been relieved when Kilos wasn’t on the airship, but…

Now she even had Kilos’ communication drone with her, which meant she was completely prepared.

‘What should I do?’

Yu-ha glanced briefly toward the operating room.

Just before, she had communicated with Nazha through Maker’s private network.

When she asked how long it would take until the surgery was complete, the answer was 10 minutes.

She couldn’t stop it midway. According to the explanation, they had just begun the procedure to connect the head and body.

If they stopped at this point, even an enhanced human would die.

If that happened, all their efforts so far would be wasted.

“T-That guy…!?”

“There’s no doubt…!! The one who cut off the boss’ head…!!”

At that moment, the thugs who couldn’t read the situation stupidly raised their guns and spoke.

Yu-ha became desperate.

Surely they weren’t planning to do something lukewarm like seeking revenge?

No. Look at reality more closely. The opponent is S-class. The protagonist is also with them. There’s no way we can win. It would be a dog’s death.

As the stress reached its limit, strangely, joy began to spring from deep within Yu-ha’s heart.

“Puhuhut…”

A laugh escaped without her realizing it.

“…?”

Then everyone’s attention focused on one spot.

Ah, truly.

Having everyone’s attention on oneself was always thrilling.

“I did say we would meet again…”

First walked forward in front of the thugs with both hands raised high.

“But I didn’t wish for such a boring reunion, Last.”

“You are…”

Last’s eyes narrowed.

No doubt about it.

He had been half-doubtful based on appearance alone. But that way of speaking, that voice.

It was First, the villain who had inflicted unforgettable pain on him on the airship.

“First! And even Red Witch’s remaining gang! What on earth are you doing here?”

Kilos’ small drone buzzed around in the air as it spoke.

Feeling irritated by this, First snapped her fingers.

The drone fell to the floor as if its power had suddenly been cut off.

“So noisy with all that chattering. Whatever I’m doing here, what does it have to do with you?”

“Athena! Subdue her! It doesn’t matter if you take an arm or leg!”

But this time, a voice resonated from Athena’s walking suit. This was why she always prepared multiple communication devices.

“Hmm…All right.”

Athena took a stance.

What happened next was literally in the blink of an eye.

For the thugs not wearing suits, it was merely a moment between 1 and 2 seconds.

In a world where everything slowed down, Athena shot forward leaving afterimages.

The target was First’s right arm.

With the high-temperature plasma blade, she could easily slice off even an enhanced human’s arm but Athena wasn’t the only one moving in this slowed-down world.

Last explosively shot forward, blocking the space between Athena and First.

‘Why?’

Feeling puzzled, Athena belatedly noticed a blue-haired woman being held hostage in First’s arms.

Up to here, 1 second. The slowed-down world returns to normal.

-Swoosh!!

A backdraft occurred.

The huge suit had moved at such a speed that it left afterimages.

Small concrete debris scattered throughout the abandoned factory flew about like a storm.

“Last! Why did you block Athena’s path!”

Kilos, having belatedly understood the situation, shouted angrily. Kilos also couldn’t see the slowed-down world.

Then Athena pointed at First behind Last’s back.

“A, hostage? There was no hostage until just now?” First (who had transformed into Age-Oh) holding Yu-ha as a hostage (pretending to), smiled and said, “Neural acceleration device in the suit…Surely you didn’t think only you had one?”

“Sister…!!”

“Ms. Yu-ha!!”

Yu-jin and Cheol-ho, who belatedly grasped the situation, shouted.

“I know what you came here for. On the surface, you came to resolve the casino protection request, but actually, you came looking for this person, right?”

“How!!”

“Because I was the one who gave the business card to Ms. Marchina?”

At that, Last, who was blocking Athena, slightly turned his head and asked.

“Why… did you kidnap Ms. Yu-ha? What grudge do you have!”

Why kidnap her? Hmm… I hadn’t thought that far…

Actually, everything I’m doing now is improvisation… It’s working better than expected, so I’m secretly impressed with myself…

After brief silence, just as the ferocity in First’s eyes was about to soften.

[Your inner malice looks at you with contempt. “Think about Sister Nazha’s case.”]

Ah.

Once again, a smile spread across First’s face.

“Well, it’s because this person ruined the plan I had been working on for a long time.”

“Plan…?”

“Do you know what this woman is being called on the internet?”

Yu-jin’s lips moved as if she had a guess.

“A saint…”

“Why is she called that?”

“Because she cried with conviction for enhanced humans who are persecuted in society…”

“And what was the result?”

“Persecution of enhanced humans decreased in the city… And ENIAC allowed the existence of first-generation enhanced humans…”

“Wait, could it be…”

Cheol-ho, who had been listening quietly, widened his eyes.

“Was it you? The culprit behind the unidentified enhanced human rampage incident?”

At Cheol-ho’s words, everyone except Athena was surprised.

As if that was the correct answer, First clapped. Having no hands to clap with, she patted Yu-ha’s cheeks instead.

“I’m telling you now, but it was a plan I prepared for a really long time, you know? As the conflict between Origin and enhanced humans worsened and finally reached an extreme, if by some chance the nanomachines simultaneously malfunctioned…What do you think would have happened?”

At First’s subsequent question, everyone felt a chill.

Needless to ask, it would have been a bloodbath.

Weapons filled with anger, moving with their own will, would have created chaos as if to compensate for their past sufferings.

If that happened…

“Wouldn’t that have been really fun?”

Silence fell.

At that moment, everyone probably had the same thought.

First, that woman…that villain shouldn’t be left alone.

If not now, she would cause a major disturbance in the city someday.

They had to capture her right here, right now.

“Urgh…”

Perhaps reading the atmosphere, First’s arm around Yu-ha’s neck tightened.

“Ms. Yu-ha…!!”

“Even though I’ve said all this, if you all close your eyes tight now! And say you’ll back off pretending not to have seen anything, I can release the hostage. I’m someone who lives in the present rather than the past.”

-Squeeze…

“Khelock…Khelock…!!”

“If not, shall we continue to be boring? Do you wish for us all to leave with only wounds and without achieving any of our goals? No, right?”

“…”

A suffocating stalemate continued.

The longer it continued, the more First was smiling.

Before they knew it, there were only 5 minutes left until the surgery was complete.

Just 5 more minutes of endurance, and this annoying battle of nerves could end.

“Athena, back off.”

At that moment, Kilos’ somewhat emotionless voice was heard from Athena’s suit.

At that, Athena stepped backward, footstep by footstep.

The thugs who had been maintaining tension finally seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

However, Athena, who had retreated to the remains of the bisected door.

“Release the suit’s limiter.”

Following Kilos’ order, she pulled out the suit’s limiter key and threw it.

High-temperature steam erupted as Last’s eyes were filled with alarm.

“Wait, what are you…!!”

“Cut them down.”

-Shuuung-

The plasma blade seemed to elongate momentarily, and the heat of the slash flew sharply like a sword aura.

-Clang!!

Cheol-ho’s barrier blocked the sword aura.

Since the neural acceleration device wasn’t activated, it was a speed he could react to.

When the steam subsided, the concrete floor melted by the plasma’s heat was revealed.

Looking at the path, it was clearly a slash aimed at all the villains, including the hostage.

“Hmm?”

First tilted his head.

“What’s this now? Were you trying to kill everyone, including the hostage?”

“Trying to…kill everyone…?”

Yu-jin, who belatedly understood the situation, looked toward Athena.

“…?”

Athena tilted her head as if she didn’t understand what was wrong.

“Kilos…told me to…”

“What…?”

“Did I do something wrong…?”

At this moment, Yu-jin saw Athena’s figure as frightening for the first time.

A hero who couldn’t do anything on her own unless someone ordered her but conversely, that also meant that if someone ordered her, she would definitely carry it out, whatever it might be.

“Athena. Don’t listen to them.”

Kilos’ voice was heard from the suit.

However, it was too emotionless to be Kilos’ usual way of speaking.

“Listen to me. What’s in front of you is clearly evil. Cut them down with your sword.”

“Okay…I understand.”

Athena gripped the plasma blade glowing like a blue star.

Three minutes left until the surgery was complete.