Everyone’s Circumstances (3)

“Hahah.”

Perhaps because she had let out what she had been holding back all this time.

Ice Queen felt quite refreshed.

‘That’s what you get for becoming A-class without effort and not being satisfied with that, why pick fights?’

Ice Queen smiled satisfactorily as she rode the elevator.

By the way, she wasn’t making up non-existent facts or belittling Spark’s efforts.

The fact that she became A-class in one go without any effort was just the truth.

‘Still, she was once my immediate senior, how could I not know her behavior?’

Spark.

A woman more desperate to create her own faction and accumulate power within the association than hero activities.

Excluding all personal feelings and looking at her, honestly speaking, she had some talent for fighting.

Just that she relied too much on her given talent, causing that talent’s light to completely fade.

‘If such a person skipped a rank and became A..’

“? Wait.”

Something’s strange?

Does it make sense to reach A-class without any effort?

“..It doesn’t make sense.”

A-class wasn’t something easily obtained by being lazy.

If it were, most heroes would have easily become A-class.

And did Spark go somewhere to train diligently?

‘Considering that I, who was in the training room almost all day when there was no work, didn’t encounter her, it doesn’t seem like it.’

She might have trained where Ice Queen couldn’t see, but there was no reason for that, and Spark’s personality wasn’t one to avoid Ice Queen.

And could she become A-class with faded talent in the first place?

It would take time just to hone and find the feel again from the beginning.

“..What is it.”

Looking at it this way, it felt very suspicious.

How did Spark get stronger..?

‘Ice Queen-nim.’

Suddenly, one of the things she heard from Maker started to come to mind.

‘By any chance, is there anyone around you who has become noticeably stronger recently without special effort?’

‘Why do you ask?’

‘I recently learned about an artifact related to that..’

Someone who became stronger without special effort.

When she heard Maker’s explanation, the way of becoming stronger using that artifact was quite horrific.

A power that grows stronger the more people you eat.

And at the same time, one person came to mind.

“..It can’t be.”

Although Maker cleverly mixed truth and lies, Ice Queen firmly believed his words.

As a result, he succeeded in instilling doubt in her.

---

Alpha’s final terrorism was carried out simply without much preparation.

“Narin, where’s Alpha?”

“I heard he’s upstairs.”

Alpha’s terrorism was originally prepared by Haru, but because she was busy with her recently acquired pet, Narin was again taking her place.

“Brother.”

“What is it?”

“..Are you really going to kill him?”

The words spilled out of nowhere.

However, I could easily understand what Narin meant.

Killing Alpha.

It shouldn’t be that surprising to her since I had told her in advance.

“We’ll see. It depends on whether I can get the artifact or not.”

“I heard bound-type artifacts can only be obtained by killing..”

“Who knows? A miracle could happen.”

A miracle my frozen ass..

I smirked as I watched Narin grumbling.

‘Right, a year is enough time to get attached.’

I didn’t say anything particularly and climbed the stairs.

Creeak.

“Akaoni.”

“Are you ready?”

At my question, Alpha calmly nodded.

“Are you ready too?”

“At least as much as you want.”

I went into my phone messenger and showed a conversation list.

The subject of that conversation was none other than Heart Queen.

“I’ve already told Heart Queen where you’ll appear today. And by now, the association should have received a terrorism warning.”

“..I see.”

I put my phone away and smiled with my eyes.

“Isn’t this perfect preparation?”

“Yes.”

Alpha affirmed my words in a low voice.

“But you know, aren’t you trying to make your suicide too flashy?”

I trudged over and sat down on the sofa opposite him.

“Saying you’ll carry out terrorism in A District where the Heroes Association headquarters is for your last organization activity.”

“Think of it as a performance like what you do with every terrorism.”

“I don’t know what will happen?”

Seeing his appearance as if he had already made up his mind.

I deliberately sighed as if I couldn’t stop him and rummaged in my inner jacket pocket for a moment.

“So, other than Heart Queen and Viktor, there’s no one else you’re calling or anything, right?”

“That’s right.”

Tap.

I grabbed a potion from my pocket and took it out to show him.

“That is..?”

“It’s a physical enhancement potion. Think of it as a drug that helps bring out a person’s maximum strength for over half a day.”

This drug was something I had kept when we raided Z-Biotech’s lab before, thinking it might be useful for Alpha.

“Honestly, your skills have deteriorated a lot compared to 40 years ago.”

“..You knew?”

“It takes one to know one.”

Knowing the original work containing his past, I had a rough idea since I first pulled him out.

The decline in physical abilities.

It could be seen as permanent damage rather than simply weakening from being confined for a long time and not eating properly.

“Of course, even though you’ve weakened, I know you’re still stronger than other heroes. The difference has just become much smaller.”

I stretched out the potion towards Alpha.

“You might be taken down by heroes before you achieve what you want.”

“……”

“But, you don’t want to end like that, do you?”

Like the sloshing movement of the potion, Alpha’s eyes wavered.

I waited for him to answer my proposal.

Like a fisherman waiting for a fish to bite the bait on his fishing rod.

“..Are you saying that if I use that drug, I can return to my prime?”

And Alpha took my offer just as I expected.

“That might be possible, or it might fall slightly short. Anyway, it’s certain that you’ll be stronger than now.”

“..I’ll use it.”

In fact, the reason I’m giving this drug isn’t because of some soft thing like friendship we’ve built up.

It’s just me spreading insurance as much as possible to eat the artifact.

“Think about it a little more. Instead, after using this, once the time limit is over, you’ll experience exhaustion and your body will weaken even more than now.”

It was to prevent the situation where it becomes difficult to divert his artifact if he is defeated and dies for some reason.

“How about it? Will you still do it?”

It was a kind of seasoning to easily eliminate the guy who would be barely alive afterwards.

Well. If I tell the side effects in advance like this, some people might think he won’t use it because it’s unsettling.. but well.

“..That’s perfect.”

Originally, guys who are properly into something are more reckless than you’d think.

“Don’t regret it.”

“There’s no way I’ll regret it.”

Even if it’s the destruction destined for himself.

“Ah, and there’s one more thing I’d like to give you..”

After that, we finished his attack plan by making various preparations.

---

The Heroes Association was currently in a state of emergency.

“Alpha, this crazy bastard!!”

“He wants an all-out war after all?”

Alpha’s declaration of war against the Heroes Association.

Saying he would carry out an attack on A District where the association’s headquarters is located was enough to make everyone in the association tense.

It’s not just some random villains, but Alpha.

He never makes empty threats, while at the same time making statements that seem like empty threats come true.

[I will burn everything in this country.]

At the thought that this might not be a metaphor but truly a fact, everyone in the association was in an uproar.

“This is when we need Optimus, but where on earth is he and what is he doing..”

“This is not the time, we need to come up with some kind of strategy..”

‘Ah~ How can I be so lucky?’

At that time when everyone was anxious, only one woman’s mouth corners were twitching uncontrollably.

‘This is an opportunity.’

An opportunity to make Alpha a follower of ‘that’ and increase its influence.

If Alpha is defeated in this all-out war, she can easily use him later by secretly contacting him when he’s burning with revenge.

Even if he wins against the Heroes Association in some unlikely situation, it doesn’t matter.

The authority that ‘that’ gives is surprisingly strong power.

For him, who is strong but alone, a reliable companion will be desperately needed.

‘It’s fine even if we just form a relationship as assistants.’

She could gradually addict him to herself and make him a follower later.

‘Kekeke..!’

Amidst the confused people, someone’s eyes flashed at the opportunity that had come to her.

‘……’

Not knowing that her rival was looking at her suspiciously.

---

‘So this is the last.’

Maybe it’s because even though he looks young on the outside, his heart is already that of an old man.

Alpha felt strangely sentimental.

The last.

Whenever he announced it, he felt oddly emotional.

Perhaps he was sentimental by nature.

“You’re going out fully armed today, huh?”

“Another victory today! Go go fighting, our leader!!”

“Mmm.. Uncle, are you going to work?”

Everything crumbles like sand as time passes.

People, regions, countries.

And what is built on the passed sand is sand that will disappear again.

“..Yes.”

“..Huh?”

“I’ll be back.”

“Hey, that crazy guy just smiled!”

He was already an old pile of sand that should have melted away without a trace.

Even though most things he shared were gone. Only I lived maintaining the old days.

“I’ve finished all the preparations. Go to the designated route.”

“Thank you.”

“..Don’t say such cheesy things, old man.”

Alpha knew himself very well.

A remnant of the past, a shame, a monster who ended up destroying everything precious around him because he couldn’t break only himself.

An old monster who couldn’t die of old age, couldn’t die of starvation, and couldn’t even go mad from the whispers of mysteries.

‘Such things should disappear.’

Alpha poured the drug in his hand into a syringe and injected it into his forearm.

“Haah..”

After a moment of pain, a sensation like heavy shackles being released and being able to breathe properly spread throughout his body.

Alpha started running, leaving everything behind.

Ku-ung-!

Even after running for a while, not a single labored breath was heard from him.

Even while running, he never looked back once.

“..It’s been a while.”

And then he safely arrived at a place both familiar and unfamiliar.

The strange wind blowing towards him.

This scenery where the familiar and vast land and many people looking at him were mixed together was a spectacle of old memories that renewed his emotions, if not for others, at least for Alpha.

Ah.

It was a perfect day to decorate the finale.