Ch.105The Judge (2)

The Beast of Judgment.

When I first sensed that creature’s presence, my body reacted instinctively.

Danger level: at least Class 1.

No, perhaps even higher than that.

But… something felt strange at the same time.

A monster had appeared, and naturally, we tried to move first.

But at that moment.

Thud.

Both my wrists stopped simultaneously.

Councilwoman Avanka.

She had grabbed both our arms precisely, without any warning.

It was clearly restraint.

“What… what are you doing?!”

Carmilla reflexively tried to shake off her arm.

But.

“…Huh?”

It didn’t move.

Literally, my wrist was fixed as if nailed to the floor.

I immediately tried to apply force.

The same sensation in my hand. Even straining my tendons to their limit, there wasn’t the slightest movement.

This wasn’t strength a human could possess.

‘…Could Councilwoman Avanka be…?’

In that moment, one conclusion flashed through my mind.

A contract with monsters…?

Or something not human…?

Before all those possibilities could explode in my mind, the scene had already descended into chaos.

The venue instantly became a living hell.

The first to rush in were the heroes who had been on standby nearby.

As if they had foreseen this situation, a surprisingly large number had been deployed.

But.

Swoosh… CRACK!

A single blinding beam.

With just that one attack, dozens of heroes were swept away by the laser and vaporized.

“AAAAARGH!”

“SAVE MEEEEE!!”

The slaughter happened so “precisely,” so “simply.”

“Damn it, please let go of my arm!!”

I shouted with a growl.

But Councilwoman Avanka simply said quietly:

“Just a little. Please wait just a little longer.”

…What exactly are we waiting for?

In frustration, I looked at Zero standing beside me.

The emotionless silver girl.

But.

The Zero I knew was no longer just a homunculus that responded only to commands.

“Zero! Do something! We need to move! Civilians, heroes are now…!”

At that moment, Zero’s shoulders trembled ever so slightly.

She slowly bowed her head.

“…I’m sorry.”

A low, composed voice.

But with a tremor in that final syllable.

“That order… I cannot execute.”

“…What?”

I looked at her again in disbelief.

Her eyes weren’t looking at me but staring into empty space.

“Councilwoman Avanka’s orders… are absolute.”

Her lips moved quietly, but those words were more like a scream for help.

“What are you saying… You told me before. That you wanted to become human like me and Song Ha-na…!”

Clearly, during the hero exam.

Zero had begun to understand “emotions” and started fighting together as a “person.”

Yet now, she’s just watching dozens of heroes die, bound by a single order?

“What have you done to Zero?!”

My voice thundered.

It was anger.

No, beyond anger.

Fear, disgust, and distrust toward her all burst forth at once.

But Councilwoman Avanka tilted her head slightly, unfazed.

Just… as if observing an interesting creature.

Then, without warning, she released the hands she had been holding.

As if ready to use a toy that had finished its preparation.

“Now, go ahead.”

“…What?”

As I asked blankly, she slowly smiled.

“Civilians are dying. You don’t have time to be angry with me, do you?”

That tone.

That intonation.

Everything calculated with composure.

Carmilla gritted her teeth.

In that moment, I thought this woman might truly be more dangerous than the monster.

My teeth clenched, but at the same time, there was no time to delay further.

I pressed my mask on, and Carmilla summoned guns in both hands.

And first of all, Zero leaped toward the sky.

SWOOSH!!

Her body soared like a flash of light, cutting through the sky.

We followed her trajectory, and attacked the Beast of Judgment simultaneously from three directions.

And with just one collision.

BOOOOOM—!!

The explosion tore through the sky, and a blinding flash spread out.

“KYAAAAAAAH!!”

The monster’s mouth tore as it howled.

But it sounded less like pain and more like… a cry of defeat.

Crack.

Slowly, the monster’s wings tore, and scale-like flesh crumbled away, shattering into pieces in an instant.

Right there on the spot.

“Huh?”

“…Is it over now?”

The studio, no, the entire downtown seemed to fall silent for a moment.

And soon,

“WOOOOOOOOAH!!”

Thunderous cheers erupted.

The audience rose to their feet in unison, and some clapped while sobbing.

“We survived!”

“That’s our heroes for you!”

The host wiped his eyes and shouted.

“Citizens, did you see that?! The heroes… stopped the monster! We have… won!!”

Cameras recorded this moment, and people began to sincerely believe in this heroic tale.

But.

I.

And Carmilla beside me.

Behind our masks, we were swallowing an inexplicable sense of dissonance.

It died too easily.

Too simple, too perfect.

This wasn’t a battle… yes, it was more like a show.

***

A massive welcome ceremony held to commemorate the end of the hero exam.

But on that day, an unprecedented “Danger Level 1” monster appeared.

And that monster was defeated in one breath by two rookie heroes who had just passed the hero exam and one newly promoted S-class hero.

Truly an event worthy of being called the “Prologue of Heroes.”

Perhaps because of this.

Public opinion about Kang Jang-hoon and Carmilla boiled over explosively.

The media highlighted their achievements almost daily, and some outlets even published articles pairing them as an “official couple.”

Of course, not long after, all those reports were deleted due to pressure from above.

But the real focus of attention was elsewhere.

The Hero Association’s Level 1 classified information.

And,

The being who appeared publicly on stage that day—Homunculus, Zero.

A being who smiles like a human, speaks like a human, and mimics emotions behind an expressionless face.

When she was first revealed, public opinion was divided.

“Is this a tool to replace human lives?”

“Isn’t it too much to send an experimental subject into danger?”

“Isn’t this a human rights violation?”

But after the Beast of Judgment incident, all perceptions changed.

In that catastrophe, while dozens of heroes fell helplessly, just one—

Zero.

The tide of battle reversed instantly with her appearance.

That sight gave people both emotion and reassurance.

And humans, as they always have, chose reassurance over fear.

“Sympathy is fine, but I don’t want my child to die, you know?”

“We can live now… thanks to these children…”

Those words spread.

On that uneasy belief, Councilwoman Avanka solidified her position.

Now no one questioned her project.

The homunculus was no longer an experimental subject in the shadows but a “weapon of hope” responsible for public security.

Yes, everything was according to plan.

And as an extension of that plan—

Even meeting a man tonight at the top-floor restaurant in Hero City.

“You’ve come, Jang-hoon.”

She raised the corner of her mouth as she gently swirled her wine.

Under the quiet lighting by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire city, classical music spread softly.

“Councilwoman Avanka.”

Kang Jang-hoon.

He approached her with narrowed eyes, not hiding his anger.

“To show such anger in front of the most influential congresswoman in Hero City…”

She said with a slight smile.

“You’re truly impressive, Jang-hoon.”

“…What?”

“The first male hero. Honestly, when your name first came up, I was worried. What if the man holding such a symbolic title turned out to be trash?”

“…What did you just say?”

“But fortunately, you’re intelligent, righteous, and recklessly… kind.”

She didn’t hide her emotions.

It was joy.

Satisfaction, and at the same time, ecstasy.

Then suddenly, she turned her head to look somewhere outside the window and said quietly.

“…Ten years ago. I’m truly glad… that I didn’t eliminate you then.”

“What did you just say?”

Those words were like a poisoned sentence, seemingly meant to be heard yet made to be unbelievable.

She didn’t smile.

She just pushed her glass away and folded her hands, staring straight ahead.

“When I first discovered you, I hesitated briefly. You were… too dangerous.”

Jang-hoon pressed his lips firmly together.

His breathing heavily stamped against his chest.

“If you had been just another ‘bad monster,’ I would have had no choice but to eliminate you on the spot.”

Her words were quiet.

But contained within that quietness was the gaze of someone who judges like a god.

“You… don’t tell me, since then?”

“If I knew?”

Only then did she smile.

A smooth, perfectly refined politician’s smile.

“I knew everything.”

She picked up her wine glass and slowly rotated it.

The red liquid swirled with the light, its trajectory looking like blood.

And she quietly declared:

“I am ‘humanity’s monster.'”

In that moment, the temperature of the entire restaurant seemed to drop.

The city outside still peacefully lit up, but in this space, even the silence was sharp.

“The highest-ranking monster from another world. And simultaneously, a monster who observes human society… and has chosen it.”

That’s what she said.

As if revealing an identity determined long ago, just for this moment.

“I am… stronger than you, Kang Jang-hoon.”

The being who had been manipulating everything under the name of “politics” in Hero City.

Now, that identity was slowly, without any warning, being revealed.