Ch.95Chapter 4. The Dignity of S-Class (3)

When determining the rank of a hero or villain, the standard is based on how much power they can exert.

The “power” mentioned here doesn’t simply refer to physical strength or explosive force.

Without needing elaborate explanations, it’s about what “class” that person belongs to.

I am S-class.

Even if my magical power and other stats are below average or slightly above, I earned the title of S-class villain through my combat sense and imagination.

Many people are puzzled when they see the Goblin in person.

Up close, I don’t seem to have much magical power, and they wonder why I’m S-class when they think they could win against me.

Yeongno is the same.

The look in his eyes behind the mask is cautious of me, yet he’s convinced he “can fight” me.

Now, I’m about to shatter that belief head-on.

“Kuhak!”

Each time Yeongno approaches, I swing my fist forward, igniting flames against his solar plexus.

With each burst of flame, fire catches on Yeongno’s body, forcing him to retreat, shake it off, and rise again.

“Die!”

Yeongno wraps magical power around his hand and extends it forward.

Mana stretches out like a net as if to devour something, soon taking the form of a giant monster’s maw.

Something like a lion mask glimmers like a spirit, trying to devour me.

[Yes, I heard your ability is ‘devouring.’]

I deliberately enter the lion mask’s mouth.

The visible form is just a monster’s mouth, but the framework creating that shape is merely a net made of mana.

Whoosh!

I swing my hand wide to the front, creating flames.

As Qiongqi’s flames whirl like blades from my hand, the net splits in half, and the lion mask’s body is cleaved in two.

“This…! How, how can you use flames…!”

[The Goblin’s possibilities are endless. I won’t explain further. Stop here. Then I won’t hurt you too badly.]

“Shut up! Are you trying to humiliate me?”

[Humiliate? No. I was saying I’d give you a painless death.]

I shake my hand once more, then clench my fist and swing it forward with great force.

BOOM!

Flames exploded in midair.

Though it was empty space, my attack connected with something precisely.

“ARGH!!”

Yeongno takes the punch and rolls across the ground again.

The body of Yeongno that was glaring at me from behind disperses like mist.

[A doppelganger, huh.]

“Kuhak, how…!”

[Your mistake was revealing yourself as Yeongno. That’s all. The Syndicate investigated Yeongno, and I simply figured out what abilities you have.]

“T-that’s impossible…! Everyone who’s seen this has died…!”

[So, that’s what you’ve been telling yourself.]

I approach Yeongno and grab him by the collar.

“You bastard!”

Yeongno grabs my wrist and starts kicking me.

Protected by magical power, it didn’t hurt, but it was an extremely annoying kick.

[Next time you threaten to assassinate someone, try hiding your identity.]

I grab Yeongno and slam him into the ground.

“KUHURK!!”

The paved road caved in as if a crater had formed, and Yeongno coughed up red blood over his mask.

[Don’t resist. Not that you could anyway.]

BOOM! BANG!

I clenched my fists and drove precise strikes into both of Yeongno’s shoulders.

With the sound of something being crushed, Yeongno couldn’t raise his upper body.

His arms, fallen to his sides, seemed to have lost all strength.

Of course.

I’d destroyed both shoulder blades.

He would have instinctively wrapped mana around his body for protection, but it’s simple enough to strike with abundant mana before instinct can react.

Instantaneous acceleration.

Fire magic.

Physical enhancement.

Magical power perception.

Weakness detection.

The two punches that struck his shoulders were the result of imagining these five abilities and deriving them into a single technique.

[Did you think you could win against me?]

This is how I’ve proven my skills as an S-class villain until now.

[Let me ask you. Give me a reason why I shouldn’t execute you.]

“W-what…!”

I stomped on his solar plexus with my foot.

[Today, I’m feeling quite merciful. I’m not here as a villain executioner, but working as a bodyguard for now. Today is… just one of those days when killing someone, even a villain, feels wrong.]

“Bullshit…!”

[I’m saying even the Goblin gets sentimental sometimes. Tsk.]

-I don’t want to kill people.

It’s been a while, but I met and talked with Ymir at midnight today.

Perhaps because of that, after hearing her reluctance to kill people, I’ve become slightly sentimental.

[I’ll give you one chance. Speak.]

“That woman stole this country’s national treasure!!”

I asked for a reason to spare him, and he’s giving an irrelevant answer.

“You must know it too! That woman stole something from Armored Taejo! She plans to flee overseas with Armored Taejo’s genes and use them to create countless children of Taejo!”

[Isn’t that last part speculation?]

“Speculation?! Ha!! Ask her yourself! That woman will definitely use it to create babies, ‘ability users’! And if ability users aren’t born, she’ll abandon them!”

Red liquid flowed from the eyes inside Yeongno’s mask.

“Do you know how many women marry Korean men each year to steal their seed?! Do you know what happens to those children when they aren’t ability users?! They’re abandoned on the streets in foreign lands without ever knowing their father’s face! I need to take Armored Taejo’s seed from that woman to prevent that!”

The blood flowing from his head must have seeped into the mask and pooled at his eyes before leaking out.

“To save the many lives that would be miserable after being born and abandoned by that woman!!”

[I see.]

Yeongno ranted while shedding bloody tears.

Despite his arms being destroyed by my attack, Yeongno was trying to stand up by moving his legs.

“I must, from that woman, absolutely…!”

[That’s not enough reason for you to avoid execution.]

“What?”

[I understand your thinking. From your perspective, Juliana has done something bad enough to deserve death. But I can’t really sympathize.]

“What…!”

[The person whose seed was stolen hasn’t asked for her death, so why is Hwalbindang making such a fuss?]

“……”

Yeongno couldn’t say anything.

[That’s why you’ve become a villain organization that can’t gain sympathy. You only see one thing. Under the pretext of national interest… no, I don’t need to explain further. The reason for executing you is simple.]

I stepped on Yeongno’s body once more to prevent him from rising, then stepped back.

[You led your organization to attack with the intent to kill that woman, and in the process, security guards were shot dead.]

I twisted my hand lightly.

[Those who kill shall be killed. Regardless of that woman, you are a villain who has killed people. You should have apologized to the security guards who died in your attack.]

“K-kuhaha! You damn…! Do you think you won’t die?! You too, will die someday!”

[Yes. I live prepared to die at any time. As much as I kill others, others will try to kill me. Even so.]

I reached my hand toward Yeongno’s mask.

[I respect your loyalty and determination toward this country, so I’ll send you off without pain. Well… I apologize for crushing your shoulders.]

“Ha…! So in the end, you just kill villains unconditionally. Kuh, huhuhuh….”

Yeongno grabbed my pant leg.

Despite his shattered shoulders, this strength gripping me must surely be the power of mana infused with his final will.

“Please, Goblin. If you’re Korean too, that woman’s actions-“

[Villains are executed. No exceptions.]

I placed my hand on the device above my right wrist, which resembled the face of a fierce tiger.

[If I were to kill someone who isn’t a villain for personal reasons, the first one I’d kill would be myself.]

[FINAL DRIVE.]

Click.

[If I execute someone, it will be a villain who has committed evil.]

I pushed the magical power from my left hand into my right, and soon the Qiongqi flames that filled both hands concentrated in my right hand, beginning to blaze as a massive flame.

“Kuha….”

It looked similar to the lion mask Yeongno had tried to devour me with—a flame tiger with its jaws wide open.

[Qiongqi’s flame that won’t even let you feel pain, blaze forth.]

“…Hu.”

Yeongno’s mask fell to the side.

“May I… leave some last words?”

[Of course. I told you. Today is a sentimental day. I’ll allow that much.]

Under the blood-soaked, disheveled hair, Yeongno’s face behind the mask was covered in scars as if slashed by blades.

“Please, when Juliana does something bad enough to deserve death.”

[GRAND CROSS.]

“May the Goblin execute her personally.”

[BLAZEㅡㅡㅡ!!]

I drove the blazing flames downward, and soon a red pillar of fire shot high into the sky centered on Yeongno’s body.

[…Of course.]

I turned around after placing the mask back on the face of Yeongno, who had burned to death in a single strike.

Flutter.

The pillar of fire gradually subsided, and I gathered Qiongqi’s magical power back into my two fists.

The remaining magical power is sufficient.

Enough to take Juliana to Yangyang.

[Juliana Faygreen.]

I headed toward Juliana, who was hiding beyond the guardrail toward the coast.

[I’ll continue the escort.]

“Ah, y-yes….”

[First to Yangyang-]

The moment I approached Juliana, she hastily hid something.

“Aak!”

I immediately subdued Juliana and secured the item she had hidden.

If this is Taejo’s genetic material, I should burn it to ashes right now-

[…….]

A smartphone.

Video recording stopped.

Cloud auto-upload device.

A pillar of fire blazing from supernatural ability.

And a Taegeuk watch.

[Tsk.]

Should I kill her?

* * *

“Sis. ‘Cheonrian’ has detected a villain. Gangneung… it’s the Goblin.”

“Ah.”