Ch.55. I’m Taking Over This Villain Organization

“Eeeeek! You’re too much!”

The face of Cheolsan High looking up at me was a mess. Sweat and tears. Covered in wounds from battle.

“I don’t have the thought or time to be ‘too much’ or whatever.”

“I have a dream! I promised when I was young. My friend who died protecting me…!”

“Shut up. I don’t care about your past.”

Realizing I wasn’t joking, Cheolsan High closed her mouth.

“Are you an S-class hero, teacher?”

“You don’t need to know. Just answer my question.”

“Question?”

“It’s payment for saving your life. Did you think it was free?”

“W-well, not exactly…”

“Where do the most villains gather around here?”

I stated my business.

Local heroes know local villains best.

Cheolsan High looked a bit flustered.

“Villains? How many?”

“As many as possible. The strongest ones.”

“Um… what are you going to do?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Are you going to take them all down?”

“If necessary.”

Cheolsan High stood with her mouth hanging open, dumbfounded.

What a stupid woman.

Bang! I stomped my foot.

“Answer me. Before my patience runs out.”

“Ah! Yes. There’s an illegal underground fighting arena in the next neighborhood. Villains fight each other and place bets… Rumors say they even execute civilians, but, we don’t have the resources to crack down on it…”

Cheolsan High answered painfully.

She seems frustrated by the reality that her weakness forces her to ignore evil.

“Guide me there.”

“Will you become my master then?”

“I can send you to the afterlife. You can learn from the grim reaper there.”

“O-okay…”

Cheolsan High walked dejectedly. I released my transformation and followed behind her.

◈ ◈ ◈

“Big Jaws is biting! But Outjerk counters with iron chains!”

“Kill him! Big Jaws!”

“I bet my entire fortune! Get up, damn it!”

The underground arena was filled with heat. Packed spectator seats. A massive steel cage in the center.

The audience was diverse.

Some villains, some ordinary people. Some high on drugs, others desperately clutching betting slips after gambling their life savings.

People with tattoos covering their scalps and tongues, those with mechanical limbs, those growing plants in their eye sockets, those with their genitals connected to their mouths.

All kinds of people.

After being guided to the entrance, I sent Cheolsan High away. She kept trying to follow me, so I kicked her butt. It was a sturdy, childbearing-type butt.

I spoke to the guards in front of stairs that seemed to lead to the VIP room.

“I want to meet the operator of this place.”

“What? Who the hell are you?”

“Someone strong.”

“Are you barging in? Don’t know the rules, huh? Just heard rumors?”

“Seems like you want to kiss the boss’s ass, but intruders have to defeat all of today’s fighters before meeting the boss.”

I looked around the arena. A villain with a shark head, at least 4 meters tall, was eating his opponent.

“Today it happens to be Big Jaws. An A-class villain.”

“Looks like you’re screwed. Don’t piss yourself. It’s annoying to clean up.”

Rather than killing everyone indiscriminately, it would be better to talk with this boss first.

I moved toward the central steel cage arena.

The shark-headed villain was roaring in triumph. I entered the cage without hesitation.

“Oh! We have a sudden intruder! Intruder! State your name!”

The spotlight shines on me. What’s this?

“State your name!”

I guess I should answer.

“Gerogius.”

“The intruder! Gerogius! Has challenged Big Jaws! Betting begins now!”

Holographic scoreboards float around frantically. The crowd begins to cheer.

“Betting closed! Odds, 1.12 to 7.25! Big Jaws’ overwhelming popularity remains undiminished! The match begins! The rule is simple! It doesn’t stop until one side dies!”

Easy to understand.

“Ooooooh!”

“Kill him, Big Jaws!”

“Tear him apart!”

Madness dominates the crowd.

Adrenaline mixes with every breath they take.

It’s absorbed into others’ inhaled breaths, circulating in their blood, and the excitement grows even more.

Not all of them are villains. The proportion of ordinary people is much higher.

Those addicted to gambling, those addicted to blood.

Even after those terrible days with the Dark Kingdom, was there not enough bloodshed?

How much more blood do they want to see?

One human who doesn’t even know who they are.

Someone like themselves who might have family, friends, loved ones.

They’re so excited and looking forward to seeing them torn apart by shark teeth.

Is this human nature?

Is this the culture humans have created?

Garbage bastards.

“Let the slaughter begin!”

“I’ll devour you!”

The shark head charges at me.

I commanded my heart.

“Transform.”

[Up a blind alley]

Red skin envelops me.

“Apocalypse.”

[■EVE■AT■O■]

“Red of War.”

[B■L■UMR■B■R]

I swung my fist lightly.

BOOM!

The next moment.

The shark head was gone without a trace, leaving only blood and flesh in its place.

Only its teeth, which were somewhat sturdy, sparkled as they scattered like trophies.

“Uh…”

“Eh…”

The underground arena, once full of heat, was now filled with silence.

I flicked my fingertip.

“Next.”

◈ ◈ ◈

“Well, you’re a talented newcomer.”

I was in the VIP room. It was a room with the best view of the underground arena from the highest point.

The left wall was a one-way mirror, allowing us to see the arena while preventing those outside from seeing in.

“But don’t get cocky. I’ve seen many like you before. That Big Jaws was one of them.”

The boss, his face covered in scars, said while smoking a cigar. Around him stood his henchmen, human weapons who had replaced their entire bodies with slaughter machines.

“Gerogius, was it? I don’t think that’s on the villain registry. If you came because of rumors, you’ve come to the right place, our ‘Sins Work.’ I’m the boss, ‘Origin.'”

So this was an underground arena run by Sins Work.

I know that name. It’s a villain organization that appears around the fourth scenario. Not a major organization, more like a sub-quest.

They must be building their power since their appearance is still far off.

“Our villain pool is extensive. If you pledge loyalty as my subordinate from now on, I can provide all the support…”

“Subordinate? No, that’s not my business.”

“What?”

“Hand over your villains. If you join under me, I’ll use you as a subordinate.”

Origin paused for a moment after hearing my words.

“Hahaha! Well, well. A funny guy has appeared. Well, I like that confidence.”

“Boss, should I teach him a lesson?”

“No. I’ll do it myself. This kind needs education. Education steeped in fear. He’s soaked in arrogance, believing without doubt that he’s the strongest.”

Origin blows out cigar smoke.

“Let me ask you one thing, Gerogius. What’s your goal?”

“To create the largest villain organization. In the process, attack the Dragon King Sentai Draodger.”

“What? You’re picking a fight with S-class heroes? Hahahahaha!”

Origin laughs uproariously.

“Listen. Let me tell you a secret. Do you know my villain rank? It’s S. An S-class villain, no less. And do you know how I’ve survived without being eliminated until now? I know my limits. Disturb a beehive and you get stung to death.”

Origin spits out his cigar. Light beams from his eyes. His body begins to swell and bulge, tearing his suit.

“Let me tell you. The arrogant die first in this business.”

“Then let me tell you something too.”

Origin rushes at me. His swollen, giant fist shoots out like an arrow. I countered with my own fist.

SPLAT!

Origin exploded, leaving only chunks of meat that used to be him.

“The weak die first. The strong survive to the end.”

I looked around. All his henchmen were terrified.

“From now on, I’m taking over. If anyone has objections, step forward.”

No one answered.

“Good. How many villains do you have? Bring me the list.”

“Here it is.”

One henchman handed me a holographic tablet. I like his quick movements.

I checked the list. There are quite a few A-class and B-class villains.

But this still isn’t enough…

“The matches continue! Place your bets! Time limit is 5 minutes! How many will survive?”

I turned my head toward the arena. They were still continuing that unfunny show.

“Hmm.”

And it’s extremely disgusting content.

The civilian execution Cheolsan High mentioned.

That seems to be the match.

In the arena were three villains. And about thirty civilians standing tightly packed.

The villains were carrying out the slaughter without any hesitation.

As they swing chainsaws and machetes, necks and hearts are cut off, blood and flesh fragments scatter.

It seems they’re gambling on how many will survive during these 5 minutes of atrocity.

What impressive creativity.

Those civilians were undoubtedly sold here because they couldn’t repay their debts.

They must have been lured with promises of debt forgiveness if they survived.

“These fucking bastards.”

I cursed.

Thirty civilians.

Among them were young children.

Four children about five or six years old.

Huddled in a corner, crying out loud.

Did their parents sell them?

The audience going wild watching this.

Really.

What a worthwhile city I’ve been protecting.

CRASH!

I burst through the mirror. Landing on the ground. I ran straight to the arena, smashed the steel cage, and rushed in.

A villain with a chainsaw standing in front of the children. I might be too late. He’s already swinging the chainsaw down toward the children.

Damn it.

But in front of those children.

There stands one girl.

A civilian.

Like the others, just someone who will be killed by villains here, appealing to the audience as a moment’s entertainment.

With trembling legs, endless tears flowing from her eyes.

Still, she doesn’t take her eyes off the approaching chainsaw as she embraces the children, trying to protect them.

It’s a foolish act.

The fragile girl’s body won’t even serve as a shield, and she’ll be ground up along with the children.

A futile sacrifice.

—But.

BZZZZ!

The moment the chainsaw touched the girl’s head, something black rose up.

Like static electricity, or an amorphous liquid, it blocked the chainsaw for a moment before disappearing instantly.

That gap was enough time for me to reach the villain.

BOOM!

I turned the chainsaw-wielding villain into chunks of meat.

I turned to look at the girl.

That face.

That face that says she has never tasted even a single piece of sweet hope in her entire life.

“…Dark Matter.”

It was a face I knew.

Dark Matter.

Lee Lu-a.

The SSS-class villain who would appear in the fourth scenario.