Ch.5050. Riot at the Association, Attacking the Association President

“Hey. What the hell is that?”

Ji Se-hwa pointed at Akshi’s corpse, which had been Epsilon. She didn’t seem to understand the situation.

But Kang Yerin grasped exactly what Dorado had done.

“You turned a person into a monster…?”

Dorado cackled as he casually twirled his staff.

“Next time, I might use you all as subjects. I’ll take Epsilon as research material. Though you’re an inferior species, I find you quite interesting. Until we meet again.”

A pillar of light enveloped Dorado and Epsilon’s corpse.

“Wait…!”

Ignoring Kang Yerin’s cry, Dorado vanished, leaving only a large, strange pattern on the ground.

“This can’t be happening.”

“We need to keep this confidential. Fortunately, the area is sealed off, and the media left after we reported taking down Epsilon. Let’s head back first.”

That was Shin Yukyong’s opinion. Kang Yerin agreed.

Despite finally achieving their first victory, it felt terribly unsettling. The fact that they had defeated not a monster, but a person—a hero at that.

Kang Yerin looked down at her palms. An unpleasant, sticky sensation was crawling up her arms toward her neck.

“…I killed a person.”

“What person? Akshi was already dead, and Epsilon was just a monster using his corpse. We proved our strength—there couldn’t be a better victory.”

“Now I’m stronger than that bastard Jung Ui-seok. If he saw me now, he’d regret everything! I’ll make him cry and beg even more!”

Shin Yukyong and Ji Se-hwa showed no trace of anguish or conflict about killing Akshi.

Kang Yerin had long given up on conversing with them. Their paths were already too different.

Choi Minseo hadn’t been seen for a month, seemingly serious about quitting the sentai and being a hero.

Kang Yerin was even considering recruiting strong heroes from America like Absolute Seven or Exile to fill the vacancy.

‘…This is painful.’

Every time she thought she was making progress, something entangled her feet.

This wasn’t a special situation.

Heroes always had enemies, and there was never much time to rest.

Only now did she realize how much weight rested on a leader’s shoulders.

“Let’s report this to the Association President first. It’s something she needs to decide on.”

Shin Yukyong suggested. Kang Yerin didn’t care either way.

“…I can’t reach her.”

Shin Yukyong tilted her head while trying to communicate. Kang Yerin immediately tried connecting to the direct line with the Association President.

But it failed. The new ranking system announcement should have ended by now. There was no reason why she couldn’t contact the Dragon King Sentai.

Kang Yerin started to get a bad feeling.

“Yellow Cloaker! Silver Mirrored!”

A hero came running toward them with an urgent expression.

“It’s terrible! There’s a riot happening at the Association…!”

◈ ◈ ◈

“The Hero Association must take responsibility!”

“Give me back my tax money now!”

“Hand it over to the Villain Alliance and get out!”

About a month had passed since Cancer appeared and the Villain Alliance was formed.

During that time, protesters had begun gathering in front of the Association. They blamed the heroes for their incompetence and supported the Villain Alliance.

The protest grew larger each day, but no counter-protests emerged.

Support for heroes was merely a shallow notion that the public held due to constant media exposure.

Most people in this city with its severe wealth gap were too busy working to care much about such issues.

Meanwhile, the organized growth of pro-Villain Alliance protesters was because:

“From the afternoon, Group 3 will continue the protest. Deploy as previously instructed, with the formation placing stronger ability users on the perimeter.”

Lee Jung-hye, formerly of Cheolsan High and now the leader of the Resistance, was systematically commanding them.

She had already recruited unaffiliated ability users to form the resistance organization “Anthology.”

Since that day, Red Dragon had occasionally made contact through secret routes.

Jung-hye carried out his orders, recruiting unaffiliated ability users to build strength, and focusing primarily on changing public opinion.

She was somewhat surprised that Red Dragon was the leader of the Villain Alliance, but never doubted his justice since the goal of defeating the Galaxy Empire remained unchanged.

And now, an order had come down.

After confirming it, Jung-hye immediately led the unaffiliated ability users.

“We can’t wait any longer! Let’s storm the Association and demand clear answers about the current situation!”

This was happening just as the Dragon King Sentai was battling Epsilon and the Association President’s announcement was beginning.

The excited crowd finally began climbing over the barbed wire and advancing toward the Association.

Citizens were using their abilities and turning into a mob.

“Advance, advance!”

“Today we’ll drive out the incompetent Association!”

At this final moment when information wasn’t being perfectly transmitted,

The unaffiliated ability users and the Villain Alliance began to move, striking at this vulnerability.

◈ ◈ ◈

I infiltrated the airspace above the Association in an airship with my elite subordinates.

Looking down, I could see protesters including unaffiliated ability users rioting and entering the Association building.

Only ten minutes had passed since I gave the order, but the response was quick. It seems Jung-hye has perfect control over the Resistance.

Her leadership is certainly useful.

“Let’s infiltrate.”

“Everyone, ready!”

At my command, Lu-a signaled to the subordinates. Instead of our usual villain suits, we were wearing ordinary work clothes as we jumped from the airship with its optical camouflage activated.

We blend in with the protesters and enter the Association building.

Heroes and security personnel were trying to subdue the protesters but couldn’t act too aggressively.

That’s only natural. These are ordinary citizens after all. They can’t take lives or cause serious injuries. They’re the very people heroes are meant to protect.

Also, with ability users mixed among ordinary people, the heroes are confused about who they can use their abilities against.

Using abilities against ordinary people is unthinkable.

It’s a taboo for heroes.

“Next, this way.”

With Lu-a in the lead, we ran quickly. There were six of us. All elites specially trained for this operation. Everyone knew the internal structure of the Association building perfectly.

“Lord, shall I?”

Illusion asked, flipping her wavy blonde hair, and I nodded. She created a doppelganger and overlaid it on Lu-a.

We moved past the lower floors where protesters were rampaging and headed to the upper floors with higher security levels.

“Hey, you can’t pass here! If you get shot, you won’t receive legal protection!”

Heavily armed security personnel pointed their guns at us. Lu-a stepped forward.

“Please move aside.”

“Oh! Green Nature!”

The security personnel raised their gun barrels upward.

Lu-a currently has Illusion’s skin of Choi Minseo overlaid on her.

However, since we’re at close range and the noise effect might be visible, the other four surrounded her protectively.

Lu-a placed an access card against the lock. The green light immediately came on, granting access.

It was made with DNA data collected from Choi Minseo.

“No problems, right?”

“Y-yes…”

The security personnel backed away, and we smoothly ascended to the upper floors.

Past several more security zones to the S-rank hero zone.

The very place where I worked for three years.

Upon arrival, I ordered my subordinates:

“You five, follow the plan—capture Green Nature’s mecha and escape from here.”

My subordinates responded:

“Hehe. Time to party.”

Illusion crouched down and activated her ability. Ten doppelgangers with Choi Minseo’s appearance were created and ran off in different directions down the corridor.

This will divert attention while we strike in the gap.

“Be careful, Geo.”

Lu-a tapped my arm. I gently patted her head and turned toward my destination.

The Association President’s office.

I need to deal with that woman while the Dragon King Sentai is away.

If those three were here, things would get complicated as I might end up killing them all.

I used Choi Minseo’s key to enter the Association President’s office.

She must have finished announcing the new ranking system and locked herself in her room after hearing about the riot.

With her personality, predicting her behavior pattern is easy.

And now the Dragon King Sentai is absent, so it’s certain.

They’re in Busan. It will take at least 30 minutes for them to return from the battle with Epsilon.

That’s plenty of time.

“Oh, Minseo?! Where have you been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you… Huh?”

The Association President, who had been rising from her splendid table, stopped as she sensed something off.

As the doppelganger effect disappeared and I revealed myself, she stepped backward.

“Y-you, Jung Ui-seok.”

“Yes, it’s me.”

I strode toward the Association President. When she frantically tried to press the emergency call button, I casually shot a white beam that destroyed it.

“Wait, Ui-seok. Let’s talk this out, okay?”

“There’s nothing to talk about. You were supposed to just sit there and play your incompetent role. But this crosses the line.”

I grabbed the Association President’s head and slammed it against the table.

“Thanks to your ranking system, the S-Sentai Tournament has begun. We’re already busy trying to defeat the Galaxy Empire, and now heroes will be wasting resources fighting each other. You need to take responsibility.”

“Aaah! W-what are you talking about! I don’t know anything about that! S-Sentai Tournament?”

“It means hero sentai teams from around the world will wage war for the S-Sentai title.”

“W-what?! Then, what should we do?”

“Relinquish the Dragon King Sentai’s S-Sentai title and transfer the authority of the Seoul Hero Association. Otherwise, Seoul will be destroyed.”

That’s the best option for now.

The third scenario would be an all-out civil war.

A war driven by heroes’ greed.

In that process, Dillitter would be developed to suppress heroes, and when villains steal it, the world would fall into chaos.

The setting for this is the city with the Hero Association that houses the S-Sentai.

In other words, currently Seoul.

Changing it to another region and intervening around the middle is the best development for me.

“D-don’t be ridiculous! Right now, Seoul is the best among all the world’s Hero Associations! Making the Dragon King Sentai an S-Sentai was my achievement! It’s the result I created!”

I knew she’d respond like that.

Let’s see if she can keep babbling even with her tongue ripped out.