Ch.108108. Vengeance Sits Across from the Enemy Fleet at the Negotiation Table

The war with the Galaxy Empire ended 1 year and 6 months ago, and the final scenario has begun.

As the countdown terminated, the sky split open and a clearly visible barrier formed.

The entire Earth seemed to be cut in half, divided by a boundary.

It wasn’t a perfectly straight line; borders appeared randomly by region. It became impossible to cross to the other side of the barrier.

Since we had some awareness of this phenomenon, we had gathered our main forces in advance. However, we couldn’t relocate all civilians. It was half the world, after all.

“Lord, our investigation confirms that the barrier cannot be crossed from any location except ‘that place.'”

Kang Wan reported after completing his investigation.

Beyond the barrier, which looked like a semi-liquid, must be a parallel world.

It completely blocked visibility, making it impossible to see what lay beyond.

The barrier cut straight through the center of Seoul. Fortunately, the Vengeance hideout was on our side. I spent a long time on the rooftop, staring at the barrier.

The preparations are complete. We’ve raised the villains’ levels through two UVC rounds with safe rules, and the evil sentai Vengeance’s rank is sufficient.

All that remains is to adapt our strategy to the Incursion’s battle rules.

Victory means survival; defeat means annihilation.

Only the outcome remains.

“This will be your final battle, Ui-seok.”

It was Somi.

“You speak as if it’s not yours too.”

“I wonder.”

“Then it’s not the end for me either. We share the same fate.”

“…Do I deserve that?”

Somi smiled bitterly.

“I’ve been thinking. Maybe if I hadn’t been in your life from the beginning, things would have turned out better.”

“Weren’t you the one who said our present exists because of all the people we’ve met and the processes we’ve gone through?”

“Yes, I did. But I thought perhaps we could distinguish those who clearly had negative influences. I claimed to act for the world and peace, but in the end, I behaved most selfishly and made you sacrifice yourself.”

“As a result, I’m happy with where I am now. And I need you for that.”

“…Thank you.”

Somi raised the corners of her mouth as she met my eyes.

“I think I understand now. Watching Lu-a’s pure, genuine happiness, I’ve begun to grasp what it means to love you.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. I want to know more. So this can’t be the end.”

“Of course not.”

Afterward, Somi and I discussed battle strategies for a while.

When I went down to the office later, Lena was there.

“As planned, you’re not thinking of entering the other world?”

“Right. The passage is narrow, risking a counterattack, and if my prediction is correct, waiting will be sufficient.”

“Such strange things happen. A parallel world—I wonder if there’s another me over there?”

“There might be. Or you might already be dead.”

“Hehe, true.”

Lena understood my meaning and didn’t ask further.

“Ui-seok, needless to say, you plan to win this time too.”

“If we lose, we die.”

“That hardly matters to me. I’ve already achieved my purpose.”

“Is it your turn after Lu-a?”

“How could it be? I haven’t reached a level of enlightenment where I can discard what’s in my hands in an instant. I’m quite possessive.”

Lena walked over with clicking heels and gently placed both arms on my shoulders.

How refreshing.

“Recently, there’s something I desperately want, but it just won’t come to me.”

“That’s because it has an owner.”

“Two owners, in fact. But more than anything, I don’t feel like I have an equal relationship with you, Ui-seok.”

“We’re not equal?”

“I didn’t want to admit it, but I have no choice. Ui-seok, I owe you a great debt. You fulfilled my wish. You played with my life as you pleased, like a demon.”

“It felt good.”

“Before I knew it, I was chasing after you. Like Boksil chasing treats. How could I subjugate you like this? I should have realized sooner that this was fastened around my neck.”

Lena unbuttoned a few buttons near the collar of her neatly worn uniform. The choker squeezing her neck was briefly visible.

With a smile at the corner of her mouth, Lena seemed satisfied as she buttoned up again.

“So this time, I’ll fulfill your wish. When we destroy the other world and end everything, you’ll be free.”

“That’s right.”

“I’ll repay my debt with that. Then, remove this leash and let me stand beside you.”

After finishing her words, Lena turned sharply and left the office.

***

“Mmm! Dangerous, there’s a very dangerous atmosphere here! I’ve seen many Earths, but this is the first neighborhood this dark!”

A plump Black man in a robe flashed his teeth and laughed good-naturedly.

The Vengeance members and I greeted this suddenly appeared fellow at our hideout.

“Vengeance? Ah, no modifier? Good, good. Vengeance! So there are five members? Glad you meet the minimum requirement. Five members are essential for the first meeting. Who made the rule? We did!”

“What’s your name?”

The Black man clapped his hands while spreading his arms exaggeratedly. His movements were like those of an over-the-top clown.

“We have many names. At first, we just watched various dimensional Earths. Observers, Mediators, Those Who Remain, Shadows, Dimensional Management Organization. Now you can just call us ‘Witnesses.'”

“You mean Witnesses of the Incursion?”

Lu-a asked. The Witness snapped his fingers.

“Correct! We’ll witness between your two worlds. To ensure you compete properly on the battlefield!”

“Did you cause the Incursion?”

Lena asked coldly. The Witness waved his hands dismissively.

“The Incursion is a natural phenomenon of the universe. Have you heard of entropy? It’s when energy transforms into unusable forms. What happens when it accumulates more and more?”

Bang! The Witness stomped his foot.

“Bam! All energy becomes static, and the entire universe stops. So we periodically clean up to reduce consumption.”

“Why decide this through Earth’s battles?”

The Witness answered Somi.

“Because the strongest beings in the universe are here. Winner takes all. You know? It’s the natural order and law. We don’t really know why either. It’s just been that way during all our time observing.”

“Boksil’s head is exploding… Call me later.”

Boksil curled up in a corner, chewing on a dog treat.

“What are the battle rules?”

“Each world cannot cross into the other. Neutral zones will open sequentially. There’s already one, right? You haven’t entered it yet? Good.”

The Witness patted my shoulder.

“There will be five neutral zones. These are the battlefields. Each world will fight based on themes: ‘Army,’ ‘Technology,’ ‘Power,’ ‘Cooperation,’ and ‘Will.’ Each victory earns you a ‘Symbol.'”

“With Symbols, your world’s existence is proven to the universe. You need three Symbols. Simply put, it’s best of five.”

“What about the detailed rules?”

“Those change each time, so we don’t know either. By the way, the same explanation is being delivered to the other world right now. Fair, right?”

“Why are you witnessing?”

The Witness laughed heartily at Lu-a.

“At first, when we just watched, everything fell apart before the battlefields even opened, and both worlds were destroyed.”

“We can’t live in your dimension. Watching is our only pleasure in life. We’d be sad if you disappeared. Think about it. You’d be angry if your drunk dad came home and smashed the living room TV!”

“When does the first battle begin?”

“Oh, don’t be so hasty. Lord Gerogius.”

The Witness pointed his index finger at me and wiggled it.

“Let’s start with the first neutral zone that opened. It’s the ‘Negotiation Table.'”

“Negotiation? With whom?”

The Witness smiled broadly.

“Why, with the sentai from the other world, of course!”

***

We moved forward.

The first neutral zone that opened.

That is, there was exactly one area in Seoul without a barrier.

Since we couldn’t predict what problems might arise in that area, we had it sealed off and ordered our subordinates to maintain strict vigilance.

I had been waiting for this Witness to intervene, knowing of their existence from the comics.

I transformed into my dragon form and walked there with my sentai members.

It wasn’t far.

A place that had been like home to me for a while.

Now used as one of Vengeance’s Seoul branches.

It was the building formerly known as the Seoul Hero Association.

It’s somewhat amusing that the final scenario begins here, after coming full circle.

The association area was cut in half vertically, with the other half becoming the territory of the other world.

And on the first floor of the building where the S-class hero area—my room and the Dragon King Sentai’s room—had been on the top floor, there was a unique space without a barrier.

We stood in front of that main entrance.

“From here, only one sentai—the five strongest people in this world—can enter. That’s correct, right?”

I snorted at the Witness’s question.

Behind me were Lu-a, Lena, Boksil, and Somi.

There was no need to answer. We walked through the main entrance.

Whoosh—

The interior wasn’t the Hero Association structure I knew.

The Witness had already modified it, with the center divided by a table and arranged in an oval shape to seat five people.

Looking to the right, the Witness was already standing at the center, at the world boundary.

This isn’t even a DMZ.

When I took my seat, our names appeared on our side’s display board.

――――――――――

Vengeance

Leader: Gerogius

Members: Dark Matter

CEO E.lena

Boksil

Prison Warden Ursula

――――――――――

“The opponents?”

“Wait a bit. They’ll be here soon.”

The Witness answered leisurely.

The other side would also send their sentai with the five strongest in their world.

Their leader would be a possessed person and would be strong.

Of course, I’ll crush whoever they are with all my might.

Not long after, the door on the other side opened, and five people entered.

We all took in their appearance.

“—Huh?”

Lu-a was the first to gasp.

And I—

“Kuk kuk.”

Had to suppress my laughter.

The five didn’t seem interested in sitting quietly in their chairs.

Only the leader, the possessed one, walked confidently and sat arrogantly directly across from me. The other four stood askew behind him.

“Are you villains over there? The atmosphere is intimidating; ease up a bit. We’re in the same situation, aren’t we?”

He addressed me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer because I was still suppressing my laughter.

“Hmm. Not a fun fellow. Come on, how about we talk face to face?”

He removed the helmet he was wearing, placed it down, and showed a refreshing smile.

It was a face I knew well.

Their names appeared on the left display board.

――――――――――

Dragon King Sentai Draodger

Leader: Red Dragon

Members: Blue Saber

Silver Mirrored

Yellow Cloaker

Green Nature

――――――――――

“Let’s begin. Negotiations with the fate of each world at stake.”

Red Dragon, Jung Ui-seok, spouted nonsense at me.

I answered:

“Go to hell.”