Ch.113Chaos

“It’s Starlight…!”

“Starlight? Did you say Starlight?”

“What are you doing not going to stop the monsters right now! What about the containment line? The ring?”

Upon arriving in A City, Yu Anna wanted to check on Cage’s condition, but she gritted her teeth knowing this wasn’t the time.

Yeo Un-jae’s strike that pierced through Cage’s heart.

Feeling an ominous premonition about the incomprehensible situation, Yu Anna departed immediately and learned about the situation while flying to A City.

Cage’s secretary who fainted after seeing Cage collapse during a broadcast, the broadcast that continued uninterrupted.

The monster alert resonating throughout the entire city—fortunate or unfortunate, Cage had evacuated the citizens of A City to shelters before starting his plan.

However.

[Ms. Anna! Citizens are trying to force open the shelters!]

The movements of heroes reflected on the broadcast screen that hadn’t stopped.

Despite the appearance of Despair-rank monsters, they were confronting soldiers rather than monsters, trying to abandon the citizens.

After Cage collapsed, the citizens of A City, thinking the heroes wouldn’t properly protect them, were trying to come out of the shelters.

Even though they must know that monsters grow stronger the more humans they eat.

Making themselves easy prey, outside the shelters.

“Everyone prepare for battle! The monsters, no, the citizens!”

“Starlight! Good timing. Help us! Deal with those villain-turned-heroes and then the monsters…!”

“Starlight! Help us evacuate! There are five Despair-rank monsters! Even you can’t handle this!”

“With Starlight here, we can escape safely! We’re saved!”

“What…?”

Yu Anna, who was about to direct the heroes to battle as she would in W City, frowned at the continued remarks from A City’s heroes and superhumans.

Baskerville was calling for the immediate execution of villain-turned-heroes, A-rank heroes were saying they couldn’t win, and those of even lower ranks had no intention of fighting at all.

Did they misunderstand that everyone would flee together after seeing the heroes’ relieved expressions upon spotting Starlight?

Behind them, a desperate soldier pulled out an anti-tank missile while crying.

“You, bastards! Where, where do you think you’re running to!”

Whoosh! When the launched missile headed toward the heroes, Yu Anna stood in front of them and blocked it.

Bang! She absorbed the resulting explosion by controlling her ability. When Yu Anna was obscured by smoke, the heroes simultaneously unleashed their abilities.

“Inferior bastards, how dare you!”

“Outdated old humans, know your place!”

Sensing the killing intent from weapons capable of inflicting sufficient shock and damage to lower-ranked heroes.

In response, an intense aura spread out from Yu Anna.

Whoosh! Everyone froze at the pressure felt throughout their bodies.

“Ha….”

Though this wasn’t the time, Yu Anna laughed despite her anger, clenching her fist as her flaming hair fluttered.

“All of you, lower your hands before I make you wish you were dead.”

“Ugh….”

It didn’t take long for the heroes to turn off their abilities and the soldiers to lower their guns under the menacing aura.

This was because A City already had precedents of heroes who would kill even citizens if necessary.

Yu Anna looked around at the soldiers and superhumans who were failing in their roles due to their hostility toward each other.

They were exactly like the A City soldiers and heroes who first came to W City.

“Baskerville, go and buy us time.”

“What?”

“You can do it, right? Hide and guide them with magic bullets. Annoy them like flies and somehow draw the attention of the Despair-ranks.”

“Are you telling me to die? Impossible, how can I possibly handle five…”

“If it gets really dangerous, call me, and I’ll fly right over.”

Baskerville had previously managed to keep two Despair-rank monsters in one area for nearly 10 minutes by hiding from afar.

Keeping twice that number, five monsters, contained would be impossible even for Baskerville.

However, it had to be done.

“We need as many heroes as possible right now. Let me use a little time.”

“Urgh… Three minutes. I can’t do more than that!”

“That’s enough.”

After Baskerville departed toward a high communication tower, Yu Anna looked over the soldiers.

“You soldiers… I roughly understand that you don’t trust the heroes at all. But could you believe in them one more time and help?”

“Help? With what…?”

“Just now, after seeing the situation here, citizens are trying to force open the shelters to escape.”

“What?”

“W-wait, was everything being broadcast?”

“The citizens…! This is all because of you!”

“I’m not finished.”

Bang! Yu Anna silenced everyone by igniting flames above her head.

“Here, if heroes go to fight the monsters, there won’t be enough people to send citizens back to the shelters. I’d like the soldiers to control the citizens. I’ll assign some heroes as escorts.”

“How can we trust superhumans!”

“Yeah, aren’t you just trying to separate us and run away!”

“I don’t run from monsters.”

Yu Anna opened her clenched fist and ignited pure white flames.

“My superpower is flame that burns everything. I awakened with the wish that all monsters in this world would disappear.”

Non-combat superhumans awakened abilities to protect themselves and escape from monsters.

And combat superhumans, called heroes, gained abilities with the desire to defeat monsters.

Among them, Yu Anna is a superhuman whose ability manifested from persistent killing intent and hostility, wanting to kill all monsters.

“If it’s hard to trust other superhumans, I’ll be your proof. Proof of a hero who never abandons citizens and fights monsters to the end. If the heroes who go with you try to run away, you run too. I’ll fight to the end.”

So, believe me.

At those words, soldiers who knew Starlight spoke up.

“We can trust Starlight. When she was in A City before becoming S-rank, she was known for protecting citizens almost stupidly.”

“I know her too. She might be questionable against villains, but against monsters, she’s as good as Cage. No, even better.”

“But she’s still a superhuman… Isn’t she Cage’s colleague?”

“Y-yeah! In the end, superhumans only help each other! Even if it’s Starlight, how can one S-rank handle all those monsters?”

“I never said I’d fight alone.”

Yu Anna pointedly indicated the superhumans behind her.

Some of them immediately protested.

“Who said we’d fight? Who are you to decide?”

“Why should we risk our lives to fight?”

“Yeah, those who are scared of monsters and want to run away can go hide in the shelters. I don’t have time to coax cowards while fighting.”

“What?”

Yu Anna glared at the superhumans who had spoken with cold eyes.

“But how did you even awaken your abilities? Didn’t you awaken because you lost family, acquaintances, something precious to monsters?”

All awakened abilities begin with fighting in terrible fear and terror.

Most from monsters. As those who had similar experiences flinched, Yu Anna shouted at everyone.

“Isn’t there anyone who felt glad after saving people and preventing them from experiencing the same fear as us, who felt happy after defeating the monsters they feared back then, who accomplished something? And yet you talk about superiority? Pathetic! Really!”

“Damn it…!”

Some had their pride hurt, others felt ashamed.

Yu Anna didn’t hide her contempt at the curses erupting among the heroes.

“If you still don’t understand, I’ll speak in a way you’re familiar with, so listen carefully.”

Yu Anna spread a wave of ability, condensed strongly enough to carry weight, telling them to feel it directly with their superhuman senses.

“I’m the most superior one here.”

So, follow me.

Unable to waste any more time, Yu Anna raised her ability after her final words.

“Heroes who will face monsters despite fear, follow me. I’ll fight at the very front and be the first to die.”

Superhumans have a responsibility to protect those weaker than themselves.

If you fight with me, I won’t let you die before I do.

At those words, superhumans came forward one by one with grimaces.

“Fine, let’s go! Let’s do this!”

“Despair-rank or whatever, they’re just monsters!”

“We grew up hunting monsters!”

“We’ve been catching monsters just fine even when Cage wasn’t around!”

Unlike moments before, most heroes now burned with determination bordering on desperation.

Yu Anna, thinking they finally looked more like heroes, gave instructions to both soldiers and heroes.

“Soldiers, spread out to each sector and control citizens trying to leave the shelters! Close-combat and enhancement ability users, B-rank and below! Form teams of three and move with the soldiers!”

“You heard her! Hurry and form teams!”

“The rest, A and B ranks, especially those capable of ranged attacks, will all face the Despair-rank monsters! The strategy is hit-and-run! Top priority is luring them, team up with Baskerville and buy time! I’ll take them down one by one!”

The instructions took only about ten seconds to complete. How many minutes had been wasted just to say this?

“Communication channel is 003! I’ll go first, follow me!”

Before any response came, Yu Anna stomped the ground and took off, hoping that Baskerville was successfully luring the monsters since he hadn’t been urging her to hurry. She tapped her communicator.

“Baskerville, can you hear me? Are you alive?”

[Ah, y-yes… This is Baskerville.]

Baskerville’s immediate response made Yu Anna sigh in relief as she accelerated.

“Persuasion complete. I’m bringing the heroes. What’s the situation?”

[Um, well, you see.]

The noise grew closer, something sharp flew past Yu Anna, and a nearby building was diagonally sliced.

Rumble, the sound of falling steel beams. Amid the loud noise, Yu Anna frowned at Baskerville’s voice through the communicator.

[I’m fine. One monster. And I’m cooperating with some strange women. Thanks to them, there are fewer monsters to deal with.]

“What?”

[But I’m at my limit. Hurry and help….]

Cooperating with monsters? And strange women?

It didn’t take long for those questions to be answered.

Boom! A massive explosion and shockwaves spread around.

Just as she felt something familiar in the sensation hitting her skin, a black figure darted past Yu Anna.

“Black Cat?!”

“Grrrr…!”

Why is this cat here? Black Cat instantly flew far away and unleashed its ability in another area.

Crash! Lightning striking the ground, trajectories of magic bullets flying around.

While Yu Anna was still surprised by Black Cat’s presence in A City, even more astonishing things appeared.

“Nyanyanya!”

“My daughter, what have you done to my daughter! To my daughterrr!”

“Isn’t this too much?! Are you really leaving this to us and going to catch other monsters?!”

Black holes appearing here and there in the air, and a black-haired girl with cat ears and tail repeatedly entering and exiting these holes like she was juggling.

A bird-shaped monster chased these holes, appearing and disappearing through the black passages created in the air.

When it disappeared into a passage, energy waves spread from far away, buildings collapsed, and other monsters’ cries echoed.

When the passage reopened, a few magic bullets followed Black Cat, the cat girl, and the owl that had transformed into something like a bear, circling around before flying elsewhere.

“I don’t know mister! Sa Gu-gu has no father!”

“I couldn’t mistake this energy signature!”

“You’re persistent! Chasing a child at your age is a crime, mister!”

And among them, a woman familiar to Yu Anna.

“Gu Seo-ryong…?!”

Why is this villain here too?

Moreover, she’s fighting against a monster.

That monster is the second talking monster after Black Cat.

While Yu Anna stood frozen in confusion, Gu Seo-ryong snapped her fingers.

Snap! With an unpleasant sound, the bear’s front paw swung and sliced through the air.

“It’s not working! Really! I shouldn’t have offered to help!”

“That mister is scary!”

“Stay away from my daughterrr!”

“She’s my daughter!”

The bear-like body’s proportions changed, feathers extending from both arms, countless blades of wind pouring down.

As Gu Seo-ryong moved behind the black-haired girl, the girl used her ability to open space.

The blades were swallowed into another space. Gu Seo-ryong reached for one, cutting off her own wrist, then wrapped her tail around the severed wrist and threw it.

When the owl monster avoided the poisoned nails, snap, the sound of fingers snapping rang out.

“Kaaaaa!”

The hand exploded in mid-air, spreading acidic blood.

For just a moment, it blinded the owl monster’s eyes.

“Oh? Starli…?”

The memory of Yeo Un-jae’s strange behavior flashed through Yu Anna’s mind.

Gu Seo-ryong’s ability, memory manipulation and brainwashing.

Could it be that Yeo Un-jae piercing Cage’s heart was…

“Youuuu!”

Whoosh! Right after Yu Anna threw a punch toward Gu Seo-ryong.

The girl with wide eyes ran from beside Gu Seo-ryong and pushed her away.

Bang! Half of the girl’s body, hit by the high-temperature pressure, melted away.

“Nyaaaaa!”

“Gugu!”

“Huh…?”

Shocked by what she had done with her own hands, Yu Anna stopped. At that moment, the girl who had been hit by Yu Anna’s ability jumped up from her spot.

“Meow.”

“Phew….”

“Huh? You’re o-okay? Are you alright?”

“Nyaaa… Sa Gu-gu hurts fifteen pipi-kungs worth…”

“Pipi-kung? I’m sorry, does it hurt a lot?”

“Where did you learn to talk like that? Stop exaggerating and dust off your clothes!”

“Meow! It really hurt! Not exaggerating!”

“Okay, okay! Focus!”

A body without a single wound—not just space manipulation but even such rapid regeneration?

While surprised, Yu Anna quietly felt relieved that she hadn’t killed a child with her own hands.

At that moment, the monster that had grown bear-sized froze in place.

“Ah, ah…ah…!”

Thump, thump, boom! Boom! The sound of a heartbeat growing louder.

Energy waves spreading with each beat.

“Trauma? Your emotions really swing wildly, you senile mister.”

With a wave carrying heavy weight, the bear-sized monster charged at Yu Anna at an impossible speed.

“Yu Annaaaa!”