Ch.5252. S Squadron Grand Tournament Begins, Red Dragon Faces Off Against Dragon King Squadron

He responded in English.

“…I’ve been waiting.”

“I’ll get straight to the point. T1 rank hero, Absolute Seven.”

“Red Dragon is the matter at hand, you say.”

I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“I’ll grant you a wish.”

“A wish, you say.”

“You must know that the S-Sentai Tournament has been announced.”

Lu-a displayed information on the hall screen. A middle-aged Westerner with white hair was delivering a powerful speech with his fist raised.

It was a video released yesterday, during daytime by American standards.

“The Washington Hero Association has determined that the world’s resources and technology are excessively concentrated in one country and among a few heroes. Therefore, based on treaty provisions, we are changing the S-Sentai acquisition method from the current annual selection system to a ‘permanent title system’!”

The middle-aged man was the chairman of the Washington Hero Association.

“I hereby declare that the ‘S-Sentai Tournament’ will commence at midnight Greenwich Mean Time two days from now!”

I continued speaking into the phone.

“Only one sentai team can challenge an S-Sentai at a time. Matchups are only possible once a week. Even though the Dragon King Sentai has lost its edge, it’s still too much for your team to handle, isn’t it?”

“What are you saying?”

“I’ll be your substitute. Currently, Dragon King Sentai has four members. Red Dragon will join as the fourth member of the Absolute Seven team.”

“…What do you want?”

It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

No, he’d probably be eager to accept it immediately.

Washington must be desperate to reclaim the S-Sentai title as soon as possible.

Of course, he’d know it wouldn’t be free.

I answered lightly.

“Nothing much. Just need to sign a contract.”

***

Kang Yerin assessed the situation one by one.

The Association Chairman’s death was too spectacular to contain the information. The whole world already knew about it.

There was currently no one to fill that vacancy.

Her options were limited.

‘I have no choice but to do it myself.’

She had to take that position until the situation stabilized.

There was actually a rule that when the Association Chairman position was vacant, temporary authority was granted to the highest-ranked hero.

With the correct number of crew members, there would be no problem.

The Chairman must have been wary of Jung Ui-seok because of these regulations.

She had been shadow-boxing, assuming Jung Ui-seok would take over the Association.

As a result, she lost everything, including her life.

Yerin didn’t feel much like mourning her. It seemed like she had brought it upon herself.

‘Next is the S-Sentai Tournament.’

Judging by the timing of the announcement after the Chairman’s death, they clearly intended to attack this side.

Two days later, as soon as the tournament began, attacks from other sentai teams would surely come.

What if the Galaxy Empire’s raid coincided with that timing?

Kang Yerin hoped for anything but that worst-case scenario.

‘Two mechs have been handed over to the Villain Alliance.’

It was safe to assume that Jung Ui-seok was fully cooperating with Vengeance.

For a moment, she calculated that delegating the fight against the Galaxy Empire to the Villain Alliance would be efficient, but her sense of duty made her reconsider.

‘Since only Ui-seok can use Magentaurus anyway, it’s better for him to take it and use it effectively…’

If Ji Se-hwa or Shin Yukyong heard these thoughts, they would be appalled. It essentially implied an alliance between heroes and villains.

What had Jung Ui-seok discussed with the Association Chairman? Kang Yerin was very curious about that.

As she was handling one issue after another, an agent knocked and entered her office.

“Yellow Cloaker, a package has arrived, but…”

“A package?”

Kang Yerin found it strange. For security reasons, packages sent to S-rank heroes were supposed to be thoroughly inspected before being brought up.

The employee looked troubled.

“…I think you need to check it yourself.”

Kang Yerin went outside to inspect the package. She was shocked by what she saw inside the large moving box, packed with cushioning material.

“…Huh, huh.”

Inside was Choi Minseo, bound and in a haggard state.

“Thanks for borrowing her.”

Along with a note in Jung Ui-seok’s handwriting.

***

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Silver Mirrored.”

Shin Yukyong, arms crossed, looked at the scientist who entered the laboratory. He was a tall, handsome man with a well-groomed beard. His white coat couldn’t fully conceal his muscular physique.

“Dr. Sun.”

The scientist, Dr. Sun, sat down across from Silver Mirrored. The lab was filled with various switch samples.

“I regret the results of the new prototype sample. I never expected the auxiliary ability of the Flame Switch to perform so poorly in actual combat… I’ve let you down.”

The new switch that had performed terribly in the Cancer battle was developed by this man. Shin Yukyong had been investing in this laboratory for some time.

She was about to get angry, but seeing Dr. Sun’s gentlemanly face made her soften a bit.

“However, I gained inspiration from the recent Epsilon battle using Dillitter. I immediately discovered a new formula and applied a different approach.”

Dr. Sun placed something in front of Shin Yukyong.

“Is this… a switch?”

“It can be used with transformation devices, but it’s slightly different. It’s touch and drag-based. I call it a ‘Pad.'”

“Pad.”

Shin Yukyong attached the pad to her transformation device.

[Make Shape! GRAVITY!]

[Check the new Update.]

“This feels good.”

“It’s the ‘Gravity Pad’ sample. Would you like to test it right away?”

Without needing to answer, Shin Yukyong headed to the test room. After transforming into Silver Mirrored, she attached the Gravity Pad to the auxiliary slot.

[Shape Managed! GRAVITY!]

[Include! AO’GUANG!]

When she swiped her finger across the LCD on the side of the pad, a mirror much larger than usual emerged.

Kugugugu—

Shin Yukyong immediately understood the power of this mirror.

With this, she could far exceed the gravity control capabilities of that detestable Dark Matter.

“Haha, this is it! This is what I wanted! Now I can tear Vengeance apart!”

Shin Yukyong increased the gravity intensity to maximum, satisfied. The sturdy walls of the test room began to break.

Watching from the control room, Dr. Sun nodded.

“Gravity is a success. Let’s start producing the next pads.”

His assistants began moving busily. Dr. Sun picked up a terminal and looked at the screen.

It was playing a video of several children in white coats using their abilities.

***

“Ugh. Haa, haah.”

Lu-a suddenly clutched her chest and gasped for breath. She must have had a nightmare while dozing off. When I patted her back, she looked up at me and quickly calmed down.

“Um, sorry. I must be tired.”

“Go back to sleep. I need to go alone anyway.”

“Okay. Be careful, Geo.”

Leaving Lu-a behind, I left the hideout. There was no need for anything elaborate. Today, going alone was sufficient. I walked with a hood on, carrying an athlete’s duffel bag.

When I arrived at the meeting point, three people were already waiting for me. Two men and one woman. All foreigners.

“Welcome, Red Dragon.”

The muscular Black man wearing goggles was Absolute Seven. Next to him was a white man wearing a long plant-based mask named Exile, and the woman was Greedy.

“Weren’t you three from different sentai teams?”

“The enemy of my enemy is my ally.”

Seeing how they’d scraped together SSS-rank heroes who operated separately, the Washington guys must have been quite desperate. The S-Sentai Tournament period is six months. Under these rules, the sooner you acquire the S-Sentai title, the more disadvantageous it is. Which works in our favor.

“We don’t have time, so let’s depart immediately. The tournament starts at 00:00 Greenwich Mean Time. It’s 8:51 now, so we have 30 minutes left.”

“Fine.”

“Is the helicopter ready?”

“We have something better.”

Following Absolute, I found a makeshift rocket launch pad prepared.

Indeed, with this, we could infiltrate through the air without being detected.

The other three completed their transformations. As a temporary member, I don’t need a switch. I put on my suit, transformed, and grabbed the rocket ladder with one hand.

With a small explosion, we launched. We instantly passed through the stratosphere.

The contract was already finalized. I would fight as part of their team for this one battle only.

And in return, the Washington Hero Association made a deal with Korea’s Villain Alliance.

It wasn’t particularly disadvantageous for them.

It might even be beneficial.

At least for now.

Without a single second of error, we headed precisely toward the Seoul Hero Association headquarters as planned.

We began our descent at exactly 8:50:42. The four of us were shot down like warheads and landed on the top floor of the Association at exactly 8:51.

“Let’s go in.”

“I’m looking forward to facing the Dragon King Sentai!”

Exile generated ultrasonic waves to break through the ceiling. We entered the S-rank hero zone. Ji Se-hwa’s face was the first we saw.

“Who are these crazy bastards! Is there some kind of creative suicide challenge trending these days?!”

“Miss Blue Saber. Your wit lives up to its reputation. I’m looking forward to your lines in bed too.”

Exile mocked Ji Se-hwa. She couldn’t understand since it was in English.

Soon after, Kang Yerin and Shin Yukyong came running. They seemed to realize the gravity of the situation upon seeing me.

“Ui-seok…?! Absolute Seven! Don’t tell me!”

Absolute crossed his arms and solemnly declared.

“Dragon King Sentai Draodger. Leader Yellow Cloaker Miss Kang. I’m initiating a tournament match for the S-Sentai title.”

Hologram windows appeared above their transformation devices.

[S-Sentai Tournament Title Match Initiated]

[S-Sentai: Dragon King Sentai Draodger]

[Challenger: Absolute League]

“Here and now? You’re out of your mind!”

“According to international agreement, you have no right of refusal. You’d better transform quickly.”

Absolute showed his fist. I also stepped forward and made eye contact with Shin Yukyong and Ji Se-hwa.

“Time for individual interviews. Who wants to go first?”