Ch.5151. The Chairman’s End

“You’re saying the S-Sentai is your achievement?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the Association President’s words.

“Did you create the Dragon King Sentai? Did you recruit Ji Se-hwa, Kang Yerin, and Choi Minseo?”

“I-I told you about Shin Yukyong’s profile.”

“I volunteered to be a hero on my own. You were just a lucky empty-headed bitch who parachuted into your position thanks to your parents.”

“D-don’t be ridiculous. I’m considered the best dealmaker! Who else could have exploited the loopholes in those treaties and taken all the benefits? Thanks to me, you had an easy time as a hero!”

“But you betrayed me.”

“Th-that’s…”

“Since I have the chance, let me ask you. Between Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yukyong, and you—who first suggested killing me?”

“N-not me. It must have been one of the other two. Obviously they were jealous of you.”

“Then why did you go along with it? What reason did you have to cut open the goose that laid golden eggs?”

“Ugh… that’s…”

“Ji Se-hwa is a stupid woman with weak motives. She might have been swept along. Shin Yukyong might have done it if she was after the Switch. But you had no reason to cooperate unless you were the one leading it.”

“No, that’s…”

“Washington was pulling strings to make you the Association President, weren’t they?”

The Association President bit her lip. Seems I hit the mark.

Before I turned the Dragon King Sentai into the S-Sentai, that title had historically belonged to America, and Washington had always controlled the world’s heroes. The international treaties also favored the US. But when that authority was transferred to this stupid woman in Seoul, Washington grew increasingly anxious and began working to reduce her influence.

It’s always politics causing problems.

As if I ever cared about such things.

“Does power taste that good?”

At my question, the Association President gave me a contemptuous look.

I understood what she meant perfectly.

She was looking down on me, wondering how someone so low-level like me could be scolding her.

“You still don’t get it even after being beaten.”

I grabbed her by the hair and started dragging her. There was no reason to treat her like a human anymore.

“Aaah! It hurts! Wait!”

She was so noisy that I struck her face, breaking about ten teeth.

“Uuugh. Uuuugh.”

“Lead me to Magentaurus if you don’t want to die.”

The Association President began walking unsteadily.

“Walk faster.”

I bent three fingers of her left hand backward—fingers she didn’t need for walking. When she screamed again, I slapped her three times, tearing her cheek.

Just then, her communicator started receiving calls. Direct lines.

First from Shin Yukyong, soon after from Kang Yerin.

These people must be arriving soon.

I put on my mask.

To the target weapons facility. The Association is in chaos due to riots. I was able to sneak in easily, avoiding surveillance while dragging the Association President. After using her authority to pass through the final security door, I quickly took down the five security guards inside.

It was a large single-story hangar.

There, I finally laid eyes on the neglected, unmaintained machine.

A sleek red fighter, 19 meters long. Near the spacious cockpit was a decoration shaped like a dragon’s head.

Magentaurus.

Red Dragon’s partner mecha.

“Hehehe, heehee.”

I threw the Association President, breathing heavily through her broken teeth, into the cockpit and boarded. I hadn’t closed the door yet. Magentaurus’s green eyes lit up and the engine started.

VTOL, vertical takeoff begins. Naturally, it’s not loaded with missiles or even a single bullet. Only flares remain. I partially transformed my arm and used a skill.

“White Plague.”

I broke through the ceiling. Bright light poured in, illuminating the fighter’s surface, making it sparkle. The indirect red color shimmered like a lakeside.

I grabbed the head of the Association President who had collapsed behind the pilot seat and said:

“There’s no point in taking you with me anyway. Let’s finish our business here.”

“Ugh, uugh.”

“The new ranking system—you looked through my files without permission and used them, didn’t you? You shouldn’t have done that. You know?”

“N-no. I didn’t do it.”

“What?”

“Ye-Yerin. Yerin brought it. I only… approved it.”

“The Dillitter development too?”

The Association President nodded.

This is unexpected.

I had predicted that Kang Yerin had given hints to the Association President, and she had carried out everything.

On the contrary, was Kang Yerin the cause of the third scenario starting?

The Association President was truly an incompetent, utterly useless woman, even more so than I thought.

Is Kang Yerin the dangerous one here?

“How did you get your hands on Nameless?”

“I-I barely made contact. That was also Yerin… Here, it’s here.”

The Association President transmitted a file to me. It was Nameless’s contact information.

“Even if Kang Yerin handled the work, you have the authority. Give up the S-Sentai title.”

“N-no. Not that. I-I built this association, this facility, everything up to this point.”

“Ha.”

She doesn’t know what’s important.

I grabbed the control stick. The side stick smoothly recognized the pressure from my hand. The aircraft instantly rose and hovered above the Association building.

The building was already far below. The wind blew fiercely.

“Eeeek! Wait! You said you didn’t need me! L-let me go!”

“Right. I don’t need you.”

I grabbed the Association President by the collar and dragged her to the open side of the cockpit. Looking down, she seemed to intuit what was about to happen, and her face turned deathly pale.

“Wait, wait! Don’t drop me from here!”

“It’s the building you raised, as you said. No complaints, right?”

“W-wait. Ui-seok. Be reasonable? You’re a hero, aren’t you? If you do this, there’s no going back, you know? You can still turn back. You’re not stupid. You need to choose wisely…”

I transformed.

Into Gerogius.

“…Gasp.”

“I’ve already chosen.”

Without hesitation, I pushed the Association President. She fell with an unremarkable scream, flailing her arms before being impaled through the stomach on the lightning rod of the Association’s highest spire.

I closed the cockpit and piloted Magentaurus again. By now, Lu-a should have seized and hidden Green Nature’s mecha, Siagus. I plan to take this one there too.

Just then, an alert sounded. I was being targeted. An open channel caught the communication.

『Why is the mecha moving! Hey, what’s that on the spire?!』

『Zoom in. …It’s the Association President.』

『That can’t be! The only explanation is that she fell from that mecha!』

The voices of Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yukyong, and Kang Yerin.

They’re quick.

I’d love to rush in and pry open Ji Se-hwa and Shin Yukyong’s mouths, but I have no weapons now. I have no choice but to flee.

I immediately flipped the switches to activate the second maneuver. The output tightened and the aircraft ascended. Momentarily, my body experienced up to 6.5G.

『It’s escaping!』

『Let’s chase it!』

Blue, silver, and yellow mechas immediately pursued. We instantly reached an altitude of 30,000 meters.

Magentaurus was confused. Its IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) was recognizing the three pursuing units as allies. Manual control. I set them as enemies.

『How did they hijack Magentaurus?!』

『Indeed. Only Jung Ui-seok should be able to pilot it.』

『Could it be… Ui-seok! Is that you in there?!』

I ignored their communications. I was locked on.

It’s Shin Yukyong. She’s full of fighting spirit.

『Yukyong, wait! If that’s Ui-seok!』

『What does it matter? Right now, he’s a villain’s pawn. We can’t let him have the mecha. I’ll shoot him down here.』

『I’m the leader now!!』

Ignoring Kang Yerin’s words, Shin Yukyong engaged me in combat. The AI popped up the MTI (Moving Target Indicator).

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

The heavy sound of anti-aircraft machine gun fire rang out. I made a sharp turn and entered evasive maneuvers. Zoom (ascending maneuver), leaving contrails behind.

In aerial combat, the one who gets their rear exposed loses. But they have three units. There’s no blind spot in a triangle. Except for one hole.

I banked left and descended. I got on Kang Yerin’s tail at 600 meters. At this distance, Ji Se-hwa and Shin Yukyong couldn’t use missiles for fear of hitting Kang Yerin.

『You coward!』

『On my tail…!』

Surprised by my maneuverability, Kang Yerin ascended at 5G to avoid having her rear taken. I also took maximum angle of attack and followed at 5.5G. My entire body felt crushed.

Distance, 300 meters. Getting closer. The air resistance between our two aircraft collided, causing the surfaces to vibrate violently. It felt like the wings might tear off.

Now’s the time.

I deployed flares. They were sucked into Kang Yerin’s engine intake, damaging her ABS. She lost control.

『Kang Yerin!』

I immediately rolled. Rotating into inverted flight, I descended.

Eventually, Ji Se-hwa and Shin Yukyong abandoned their pursuit of me and rushed to rescue Kang Yerin’s spinning, falling aircraft. Kang Yerin desperately tried to activate her jet fuel starter.

I left them with a parting message:

“Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yukyong. Wait for me. I’ll come for you soon.”

The reply came quickly:

『You, Jung Ui-seok, you bastard! That’s my line! Stay… right… there…』

The distance grew too great, and they fell out of communication range.

I returned leisurely with the aircraft.

◈ ◈ ◈

A few days later, I received reports as I started my day.

“Deep Dive.”

“The Siagus hacking is almost complete, Sujang. It’ll be usable soon. Do you have a use for it?”

“Make it ready to use anytime. I plan to seize and use all six mechas used by the Dragon King Sentai.”

“Yesss.”

“Lu-a.”

“I sent the package to Kang Yerin. It should have arrived by now.”

“Well done. Lena, has the hotline with that guy been established?”

“Here it is.”

Lena handed me an old-fashioned cell phone.

“Will you include me this time? Do you know how heartbroken I was when you left me out and went on your little trip to the Association?”

“That was urgent. You were at the company.”

“What a flimsy excuse. ‘Be itchy.'”

“You’re a troublesome woman.”

I dialed the number stored in the phone.

The key figure for the next operation answered promptly.