Chapter 34: Teacher

“How many of you will still be alive in thirty minutes?”

The sadistic voice echoed across the entire area. It wasn’t a familiar tone, but the identity behind it was instantly recognizable.

‘Wasn’t she a soldier?’

Just as Leaf hesitated, spears of fire and ice came flying her way. She instinctively twisted her body, narrowly dodging every tip.

‘What about the civilians? What’s going on out there?’

Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed over the asphalt road. When she looked up, she saw a giant hunk of metal falling from the sky — like a meteor on a deadly course.

Even the most powerful gifted would be reduced to a smear of blood under that kind of weight.

‘I don’t have time for this!’

Gritting her teeth, Leaf activated her Talent. Blinding light surged through the cracks of the crumbling ground.

RUMBLE.

As if an earthquake had struck, the underground beneath her roared. The buildings nearby shook dangerously.

Her eyes widened.

“Igdrasil, Roots!”

A massive white root burst from beneath the asphalt, glowing fiercely. It twisted and writhed like a living thing, racing up the sides of buildings.

Then it spread wide — like a giant umbrella — covering the sky.

The light-blessed roots blanketed the street, transforming the chaotic city into something dreamlike, almost fairytale-like.

The villains, who had been launching attacks at the first sign of a gap, stood frozen in awe.

BOOM!

The roots easily blocked the steel mass that had been plummeting with world-ending force.

“She might be one of the next Three Great Lights…”

One of the villains whispered in disbelief.

“We’re way out of our league. Fall back!”

As the villains scattered, Leaf stretched out her hand.

‘If I let them go, the damage will be enormous!’

That’s when two dark shadows darted out from opposite directions.

Twin girls, each armed with a box cutter, sprinted toward her at terrifying speed.

‘There they are — the twins!’

Same appearance, same outfit, same weapon. They looked like copy-pasted versions of each other.

The only difference: the girl on the left had a blank face, while the one on the right smiled as if enjoying herself.

‘Can’t let them work together.’

Individually, they weren’t that threatening. But when they coordinated their attacks, even Leaf had to admit they were formidable.

‘The one without expression is the real threat.’

Leaf dashed toward the emotionless twin and triggered her Talent again.

“Igdrasil, Slam!”

The roots that spread across the sky writhed like tentacles. Then, they lashed out mercilessly at the smiling girl.

CRACK!

Struck directly, the girl coughed blood and rolled across the pavement.

The expressionless twin’s eyes darkened.

“Unforgivable.”

“That’s my line!”

A blade flew like a beam of light, but Leaf tilted her head to avoid it — and threw a punch right after.

“Ugh!”

The girl staggered, clutching her stomach. Her expression twisted with pain, briefly flashing something almost human.

But Leaf had no time for mercy.

She followed up with a sharp kick.

THWACK!

The girl slammed into a nearby column and finally went limp.

Panting.

Her entire body was drenched in sweat as if caught in the rain. She shook her head, trying to ignore the burning thirst clawing at her throat.

As she calmed her breath, that voice returned to her mind.

‘The civilians… I have to check on them…’

Right then, the voice rang out again.

[Asking for help won’t work. All the heroes ran away, remember?]

‘No time to rest.’

[And why are you all acting like victims now, pretending to be weak?]

[When I first came to this place — Area D — I was honestly shocked. A store that specialized in illegal smuggling was operating proudly right in the middle of the street.]

Leaf turned around.

[That wasn’t all. Robbery, murder, trafficking, loan sharking… every kind of crime flourished here.]

[You don’t need to feel wronged. If you’d actually held heroes accountable for their excesses, or cracked down on crime a little more seriously, none of this would’ve happened.]

[You’re just as guilty of lacking justice.]

But Leaf didn’t make it past even a few blocks before coming to a halt.

“Yu Hyesun’s voice…?”

A girl with a cute look was scanning the area, trying to locate the source of the voice. Long, fluttering twin-tails trailed behind her.

“…No, it can’t be. The way she talks is totally different.”

Leaf quietly swallowed, bracing for the worst.

‘…She’s here.’

Currently the most dangerous individual in Area D-8.

The youngest to ever be classified as a Special-Class Villain. Already considered a likely future ‘Jo’ leader. The undisputed most powerful gifted of this generation.

‘Yureon.’

Eyes glowing like the sun slowly turned toward Leaf.

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

But Leaf didn’t flinch. She slipped into battle stance.

“…”

Yureon looked away, as if she’d lost interest.

“Relax. I’m not here to eat you or anything. I just came to watch.”

“Watch…?”

“Doesn’t feel like someone else’s business, that’s all.”

“What do you mean?”

Yureon didn’t answer. She just shrugged and turned her back to Leaf with casual ease.

“You.”

Hovering slightly above the ground, Yureon glanced back at her. Her half-lidded eyes revealed her mood clearly.

Boredom.

“They say you’re my new rival.”

“…Every hero is a villain’s rival.”

“Yeah. That kind of vibe. You’re like her… but different.”

Her.

That could only mean one person.

Leaf clenched her fists tightly.

“Igdrasil.”

“You’re gonna fight? In that condition?”

“A hero doesn’t run from a villain.”

“Hmm. Sure, why not.”

Sickeningly dense mana pooled in Yureon’s palm.

Leaf’s instincts and survival reflexes screamed all at once.

This is something you cannot face.

Even at your peak, you’d never stand a chance against this — something incomprehensible.

Turn back. Prioritize your life.

---

— The day will come. The day your idea of justice is put on trial.

‘Will I be able to endure that moment? I’ve already fallen into darkness once…’

— That’s why you can.

Because you remember what it felt like to fall.

‘Master…’

A determined light flickered in Leaf’s eyes.

“I will never forget.”

From the roots that covered the heavens, fierce beams of light burst forth.

Her Talent, responding to her strengthened conviction, evolved even further.

“…Huh.”

---

Yureon glanced around the area, a flicker of surprise passing through her eyes. Her ever-neutral lips curled ever so slightly.

“You’ve got potential.”

“Justice is the great tree, and heroes are the leaves…”

Leaf murmured like someone possessed. Yureon’s smile deepened.

“Yeah. That kind of madness — that’s exactly what it takes to become a truly chaotic gifted.”

“Igdrasil, Whip!”

Hundreds of roots shot toward Yureon from all directions. A crimson shield flared to life around her.

BOOM!

“Alright. I’ve made up my mind.”

Yureon brushed her fingertips across the cracked shield, then smiled wide.

“From now on, you’re her replacement.”

“Justice must never judge. Justice must never compromise. Justice must never be heartless. Justice must…”

“…You’re kind of a nutjob, huh. Well, she had her unhinged moments too.”

FWOOSH!

“So this is how it’s done?”

A flicker of orange flame ignited mid-air. From that tiny spark, a new root bloomed.

“…!”

Leaf froze, like a statue.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH-CRACKLE!

Flaming roots wrapped around the roots of light in an instant. They were much thicker, much more numerous than Leaf’s.

The dreamlike world, bathed in soft light like a fairytale, became a sea of fire in seconds.

“How…?”

“Surprised?”

Yureon gave a sly grin at the dumbstruck Leaf.

“This is what a natural-type gifted can do.”

An absurd authority — the ability to manipulate every power within a single category.

Snapping back to her senses, Leaf moved the roots that had been tightly bound. The trembling light-roots began tearing through the red tendrils one by one.

Then, they counterattacked the retreating fire-roots, binding them instead.

Yureon rubbed her chin with interest.

“Figures. Light-type is all about being fast and direct, huh?”

She raised both hands.

“Alright. Let’s say justice wins today.”

“Wait!”

Yureon’s form drifted off toward Area E. She waved goodbye like it was a casual farewell.

“Come back stronger.”

A hand, larger than a baseball stadium, hovered over the citizens. Its material was pure darkness — the strongest ability currently available.

[You’ve now left Area D.]

‘…That was close.’

Things nearly spiraled when Yureon showed up out of nowhere. Who knew how much she’d grown — but even a conservative estimate placed her at Double Rank.

Someone like that interfering could’ve thrown everything off.

BOOM! KA-BOOM!

In the distance, the streets where Risa was fighting erupted with overlapping Talents. Abilities clashed and tore through space itself.

Risa was on the defensive. She had limited the range of her power so that it wouldn’t affect any area where she wasn’t absolutely sure no civilians were present.

‘If I lift her restraints, she could win, right?’

If she were to lose, I might really have to kill them myself.

‘I’m counting on your ability.’

More precisely, I was choosing to believe in the novel I read.

I straightened my neck, regaining my poise.

“Stop!”

A familiar face appeared in the distance.

Magical Leaf.

I’d worried she might have died after going up against Yureon — but somehow, she’d survived. Riding a shining vine, she soared through the air and came to a stop in front of me.

“What are you planning, trapping civilians like this?!”

Perfect timing. This would let me move forward more naturally.

I adjusted the range of the mana so it would reach Risa and infused my voice into it.

---

—I’m enacting justice, can’t you tell?

“How is any of this justice?!”

I tilted my head like I truly didn’t understand the question.

—Why wouldn’t it be?

For a moment, Leaf was speechless, mouth agape. I declared to her:

—This is justice.

To Villain Iran, there was no justice more righteous than this.

—Cutting out the rotten parts.

An extreme form of justice.

—Those who uphold justice should be praised. Those who betray it must be punished.

Praise is the role of heroes.
But punishment? Who delivers that?

The police? The courts?

That kind of lukewarm punishment changes nothing.

Which is why villains are necessary.

—I’m simply delivering the punishment in your place.

---

Leaf looked conflicted.
Like she was staring at a madman… yet somehow, part of her understood.

…Understood?

I didn’t say this expecting agreement.

Tilting my head, I looked down at the citizens trapped in darkness.

—This is why you must die.

My mana-infused voice rang out clearly, even to the people inside.

—Darkness absorbs everything. Air, light, life… even sin.

This is Villain Iran’s goal.

—I am the embodiment of justice, come to embrace your darkness.

Grinning wide, I proclaimed joyfully:

—You can call me Villain Iran.