Ch.2727. Only One of the Four Can Be Chosen

“What? Cut off my arm? Jung Ui-seok! You son of a bitch!!”

Finally, a curse burst from Ji Se-hwa’s mouth. She’d been holding back well until now.

“What? You’re included in the condition too. I’ll accept your apology if you cut off your own arm.”

“Ui-seok. No matter what, that’s…”

Kang Yerin’s voice trembles. She looks around at the other members.

Shin Yukyong remains quiet with her arms crossed.

“Hey. Why are you all so quiet? Shin Yukyong, Choi Minseo! Say something!”

Ji Se-hwa shouts angrily. Still no response. The two just stare at her.

Ji Se-hwa looks down at her own right arm.

“Damn it… I’d rather be the first to… No, what nonsense. You’re crazy. Crazy!!”

Ji Se-hwa backs away. There’s someone who won’t take their eyes off her.

Choi Minseo.

She stands up and slowly begins to move.

“What are you doing? Stop right there!”

Choi Minseo moves as if possessed. Kang Yerin blocks her path and tries to grab her arm.

“Minseo!”

Smack! Choi Minseo shakes off Kang Yerin’s arm.

“…Why are you stopping me?”

“What do you mean why? Are you out of your mind?! What are you thinking?! Ui-seok is just angry and saying terrible things…!”

“Yerin… you want it too, don’t you?”

Kang Yerin bites her lower lip. She looks back at Ji Se-hwa. The conflict is clearly visible on her face.

“You, you bastards.”

Ji Se-hwa manipulates the switch on her transformation device. The Leviathan Saber appears in her hand. The blue blade gleams. A warning that she’ll swing if anyone approaches.

“Haa, haa.”

Ji Se-hwa’s breathing becomes rough. Her gaze wavers. The saber is held in her enhanced left hand. Her eyes keep drifting to her right arm.

“…Hnngh!”

It happened in an instant.

Ji Se-hwa gritted her teeth and swung the saber around to press it against her arm.

“Ji Se-hwa!”

“Se-hwa!”

Ji Se-hwa’s hand trembles. Blood begins to flow in a line from where the blade touches her arm.

“It’s mine!!”

Smack!

Choi Minseo pushes Kang Yerin aside and lunges forward. She rushes at Ji Se-hwa, but Ji Se-hwa can’t make the final decision.

In the end, Choi Minseo jumps on Ji Se-hwa, and they roll on the floor in a tangle. Shin Yukyong and Kang Yerin rush to try to separate them.

Cute kids.

It’s similar to when they had pillow fights during our trips together.

“Ui-seok! Ui-seok!! Help us stop this!!”

Kang Yerin wails.

I’m not really interested since the sound is coming from behind me. I’ve been searching through Pegasus’s corpse for quite some time.

“Here it is.”

A switch beautifully sparkling with the Milky Way and stars.

It’s the ‘Supernova Switch.’

An item dropped by monster executives. It’s in the same category as Excalibur, which was dropped by the Dark Kingdom’s executive Lancelord.

Hero sentai teams can attach this item to their transformation devices for a power-up.

Villains can’t use the power directly and need an extraction process.

But I have a different use in mind right now.

The massive spaceship visible in the sky.

I need to head there now.

“Ui-seok! Ui-seok… Huh? S-switch?”

Shin Yukyong reacts to the word “switch.”

“Is that a switch you obtained from Pegasus?”

I mocked them.

“What? Are you still fighting?”

“It’s, it’s because of you! Saying things about cutting off my arm…!”

Ji Se-hwa looks tearful. Her eyes are brimming with tears.

“You actually believed that? I’m not a psychopath. I wouldn’t accept an apology with something like that.”

At those words, all four of them froze.

“You guys, how long have you known me? Did you really think I was some crazy person who’d be happy seeing severed arms?”

“Th-that’s not it…”

“I don’t need anything like that anyway. But I can see one of you was sincere compared to the other three. Hey, Minseo.”

“Eh?”

Choi Minseo was startled when her name was called.

“I’m busy now, so come find me later. Alone. If you have something to say, I’ll listen.”

“Ah…!”

A broad smile spread across Choi Minseo’s face.

From the beginning, I only listened to these idiots’ nonsense to lure Minseo out.

Pestam.

I need to get back that material that will be the ultimate weapon against the Galaxy Empire.

For Minseo to return it to me, she needs to know where I am.

It’s a physical problem.

Currently, Pestam is probably stored in the most secure location of the Hero Association.

Even E.lena, the Lord of the Holy Tree, might have trouble infiltrating that place, let alone the current Vengeance.

So having Choi Minseo bring it out herself is the easiest method.

“Yes, it’s a promise…! I’ll definitely, definitely come see you! Ui-seok oppa!”

Choi Minseo shows a smile like she has the whole world, as if her tear stains were fake.

It seems the addiction to Pestam is progressing faster and more severely than I expected.

Of course, there are very few people whose current reality is the happiest moment of their lives.

Pestam makes you experience the happiest moment of your past, leaves it in your subconscious, and makes you crave it.

It breaks down the boundary between memories and reality, making you try to replace reality with the past.

Even I would become an addict if I took it even once.

I’d probably spend eternity repeating endless time with Somi in a dream.

I’m certain the happiest moment in her life was during the early days of the Dragon King Sentai.

And I was there at that moment.

I was deeply involved in Choi Minseo’s life.

So I thought that if she became addicted to Pestam, her dependency from that time would grow again, and she would look for me.

Reusing it isn’t a problem since she’s keeping it. The amount is so enormous that it wouldn’t even make a dent no matter how much she uses.

Judging by her reaction now, the work has been done very well.

Of course, I don’t plan to indulge her childishness forever.

Once I get Pestam back, that’s it.

Anyway, Choi Minseo will soon be finished.

The threshold for Pestam keeps getting higher, and when the limit comes, she’ll be consumed by the side effects.

Still, it might be fun to play with her for a while.

I’m thinking of doing what’s called “building up and dropping.”

“Yes. Make sure to come see me.”

“I will!!”

I gave a casual response and started manipulating the switch.

“Why are you using that switch…”

“Do you need to know?”

“Do you have a way to fight the Galaxy Empire?”

Shin Yukyong’s question. I answered bluntly.

“No.”

“What…?”

Ji Se-hwa furrowed her brow.

“I said no. You know what? Even though my face looks fine, I’m still basically a corpse. Dr. Hyun is a genius. He actually revived someone who was dead.”

“That means…”

“You just saw it, right? I defeated Pegasus with strategy, not power. Emperor Recter? Haha. I can never win. I’ve weakened. I’ve lost almost all my power. Thanks to you all.”

“Ah…”

Kang Yerin’s lips tremble.

“So I’m going to their spaceship now.”

“Wh-what are you saying?! You just said with your own mouth that you can’t win! What if you die again after barely surviving?!”

“What are you talking about? If I die, that’s great for you, isn’t it? Makes it easier to manipulate the media.”

“No… no… That’s not… anymore…”

I activated the switch. A pillar of light envelops my body.

“You never listen to what I say anyway. Did I say I came to die? I said I came to live.”

“Then…”

“I’m going to negotiate. With that bastard Emperor.”

My body rises. A pillar of light connecting to the spaceship.

“W-wait! We still have a lot to talk about! Don’t run away! I still don’t understand! Whether you’re right, or I’m right, or what this irritating feeling is!!”

Ji Se-hwa has a fit.

“That’s right. Jung Ui-seok, show some responsibility. As the Red of Dragon King Sentai, there must be things left to do. Surely you’re not saying you’re cutting ties with us like this.”

Shin Yukyong is still talking nonsense.

“Ui-seok oppa! Let’s meet again! I’ll be waiting!”

Choi Minseo waves her hand happily at me like a puppy.

“…Sorry…”

Kang Yerin now mumbles, barely able to speak properly.

That’s right.

Red Dragon Jung Ui-seok has no emotions to share with you all.

The silent revenge,

belongs to Gerogius.

I raised my middle fingers on both hands toward them.

“It’s been disgusting being with you all this time, and let’s never meet again.”

Whoosh!

I was shot toward the spaceship.

◈ ◈ ◈

I tried to restrain myself, but things didn’t go as planned.

I got excited, angry, and spent my emotions.

Unconsciously, even my speech pattern reverted to how it used to be.

I need to pull myself together.

I’m heading into the heart of enemy territory right now.

I put on my helmet and examine the pillar of light. The creepy sensation crawling on my skin is far more viscous than any amazement at the mysterious space technology.

It feels like being digested and broken down in the intestines of the beast called space.

Soon my view changed. I’m inside a magnificent building. In front of me are numerous monster warriors holding spears, keeping me in check.

This must be where Pegasus was supposed to return.

“How sad. You dare to blow up the brain stem of the great Galaxy Empire Knight Commander and still set foot on this sacred ship. Your intelligence is primitive indeed.”

A female wolf-like monster with black skin stands in a high position.

An executive, the saint ‘Eridanus.’

“The one with low intelligence is you.”

“What did you just say?”

“I am Red Dragon. The guest Emperor Recter is looking for. Is this how the Empire welcomes its distinguished guests? If this is your own decision, it could be seen as an insult to the Emperor. Your Knight Commander also invaded 20 days earlier than the Emperor’s orders. Is this your loyalty?”

“H-how dare an inferior species…!”

Eridanus trembles with rage. As she raises her arm in anger, a low voice resonates.

“Hahaha! Stop, Saint. That spirit indeed proves he is the warrior I’ve been looking for.”

“But, Your Majesty!”

“With the skill to defeat the Knight Commander, it must be certain. Bring him before me.”

“I shall obey your command.”

Eridanus suppresses her anger. The warriors withdraw. I follow her guidance down the corridor.

Befitting its name as an Empire, the interior of the ship resembles a fantasy nation, albeit with space-themed decorations. It feels like I’ve entered a world of fantasy.

We arrive at a massive door. Warriors are everywhere. The door opens. Inside is an even more enormous hall. Executives positioned on both sides. A high platform in the center.

He sits on the throne.

Emperor Recter.

His gaze looking down at me illuminates the entire galaxy.

Well then, shall we begin?

The negotiation to make Vengeance the strongest organization.