113
Ch.113 Chaos
"Ugh...?!"
The heavy impact from a stance unbefitting a bear's form, the flames burning away supernatural abilities—Yoo Anna, who had partially neutralized the attack with her own abilities, felt a familiar pain and posture that reminded her of someone.
"No way... Teacher?!"
"You—you, you, youuuu! How dare you?!"
It wasn’t that the monster was mimicking Yeo Woon-jae.
The wavelength of the ability spreading through its body was unmistakably Yeo Woon-jae himself.
The fact that a human had become a monster struck Yoo Anna with immense shock.
At the same time, a foreboding premonition flashed through her mind.
If this monster really was Yeo Woon-jae, she shouldn’t have let it come this far.
Frantically, Yoo Anna gathered all her abilities in one place.
"Ugh...!"
Thud. A fist struck her abdomen, followed by a shockwave that pierced through her body.
An excruciating pain, as if all her skin had been torn off, and then—her sense of feeling in her stomach vanished.
A concentrated strike, condensing the wavelength of her ability, the beating of her heart, the force of her stance—everything into a single point of impact.
Boom! The sharp shockwave erupted from the fist, sending Yoo Anna flying. She only stopped after crashing through several buildings.
"Cough—kehek! Hah... haa...!"
Even though she had successfully predicted the attack and burned away the shock with her ability, the sheer destructive force was overwhelming.
Compared to Yeo Woon-jae in his prime, this was easily twice as powerful.
Now, Yoo Anna understood why Kage’s heart had been so effortlessly pierced.
The pain of her organs and bones being crushed—spitting out blood, she immediately summoned her ability and set her wounds ablaze.
Using the accelerated regeneration from burning away her injuries and pain, she forced herself up—
Stab.
A pure white fingertip suddenly appeared from behind and pierced into her waist.
"Attacking out of nowhere is a bit much, don’t you think?"
"Huh...?!"
Another poison? No—this hand had appeared without any presence. Realizing it was a spatial manipulation, Yoo Anna slashed through Gu Seo-ryong’s arm with a chop.
As if the situation wasn’t chaotic enough, now Gu Seo-ryong was here too?
The moment Gu Seo-ryong carelessly leaned her upper body out of the black passage, Yoo Anna, sensing something strange, touched the spot where she had been stabbed.
"What is this?"
"A regeneration booster. I don’t just use poison—I know how to make medicine too."
Something like Meister’s healing solution?
Her injuries healing rapidly, Yoo Anna felt an odd mix of emotions at the fact that Gu Seo-ryong had helped her.
"Why did you help me recover? And why are you here?"
"Ah, since this might take a while, let me just clarify the important part—I didn’t do anything to Yeo Woon-jae. If I had, would we be fighting like this right now?"
Gu Seo-ryong, half-leaning out of the black passage, smiled meaningfully.
It was true—something felt off.
But the one saying this was Gu Seo-ryong.
Her credibility wasn’t just at rock bottom—it was in the negatives.
No matter what she said, it was impossible to trust her.
"You really think I’d believe that?"
Villains like her thrived on chaos, always convinced of their own safety.
Those drunk on the superiority of being superpower humans.
And among them, Gu Seo-ryong was a top-tier, A-rank villain.
A monster who had rooted herself in W-City, rotting away a corner of the metropolis.
"I don’t know what you were after in A-City, but if you’re looking for a fight, bring it on."
"Oh my? If I start rampaging too, wouldn’t Starlight be overwhelmed? Testing me like that isn’t a good way to talk."
Even as she said that, she probably didn’t want to fight right now, right?
As Starlight’s eyebrow twitched at the pointed remark, Gu Seo-ryong smirked.
"I was eavesdropping on your comms. Starlight, not Baskerville—the incompetent superpower humans who only bet on you because they thought you might barely win. If they see the situation getting worse, they’ll run, and that’d be troublesome, wouldn’t it?"
If W-City’s heroes were fools who’d follow even into a death trap, A-City’s heroes would only step forward if their chance of survival was at least 51%.
To them, Baskerville had zero chance of resolving this situation—but Yoo Anna was just barely passable.
If things got worse, some of them might waver again.
She had stopped them once, but she wasn’t confident she could stop a second wave of hesitation.
"Still the same unpleasant woman, digging into the rotten parts."
"Thanks for the compliment. So, how about we set aside our complicated issues and cooperate for a bit?"
"What are you planning now?"
Gu Seo-ryong stirring chaos was on a whole different level compared to the superpower humans who’d flee in fear.
Even her claim that she hadn’t done anything to Yeo Woon-jae—answering before Yoo Anna could even ask—was suspicious in itself.
But still.
If that were the case, it was also strange that Gu Seo-ryong hadn’t run away yet.
Heroes always wished they could borrow even a cat’s paw in times like this.
"...Convince me. Why should I trust you?"
"Do I have time to convince you right now?"
"You can make time!"
As the roaring footsteps grew closer, Yoo Anna clenched her fists and shouted.
She still didn’t understand why Yeo Woon-jae had become a monster.
But the wavelength she felt from this being—presumably Yeo Woon-jae—was undeniably that of a monster.
There was no time to think deeply now.
Tiny flames emerged from her outstretched hands, converging in the center.
A rapidly expanding sphere of fire—a miniature sun.
If that monster really was Yeo Woon-jae, it would recognize this technique.
The sphere shot forward, and the charging Yeo Woon-jae dodged, changing direction.
With each passing moment, more evidence piled up that this monster was indeed Yeo Woon-jae. Yoo Anna’s already terrible mood sank even lower.
"Talk!"
"Fine. Right now, I’m cooperating with the Black Cat."
"What?"
"It’s not that weird, is it? Monsters are closer to villains than heroes, strictly speaking. Did you really think you were the only one the Black Cat got along with?"
Hearing that her beloved cat had been hanging around with someone else—a villain, no less—Yoo Anna felt a slight mental shock. She recalled the Black Cat she had encountered earlier in the air.
Judging by the direction, it had indeed come from where Gu Seo-ryong was.
"If I had caused chaos, do you think the Black Cat would’ve just stood by?"
No way—it would’ve torn her to shreds.
Though Gu Seo-ryong was untrustworthy, Yoo Anna could trust the Black Cat. Feeling somewhat persuaded, she clicked her tongue.
"Even if my credibility is rock-bottom, if there’s a guarantor, you can believe me. Right?"
"Why are you working with the Black Cat?"
"We made a deal."
"A deal?"
"The details are a secret. Isn’t this enough to understand? Can’t you forget the past and hold hands with the villain you hated so much, just for a little while?"
The nature of the deal was unsettling, but there was no more time for explanations.
Feeling the approaching roar as her miniature sun was swatted aside, Yoo Anna sharply raised her ability.
"What about that girl? Did you kidnap some kid who awakened her powers?"
"Oh my? I never touch children. Didn’t you know that?"
"Yeah, I know."
Yoo Anna’s final question left a bitter taste in her mouth.
It was true—Gu Seo-ryong was a dirty woman who committed all sorts of crimes, but she had one strange line she never crossed.
Children.
No matter how valuable their abilities, no matter how wealthy their families, no matter if they were the children of heroes who had attacked her—
She would never, ever harm them.
After Gu Seo-ryong had fled last time, Yoo Anna had wondered if even that was just a facade to appear redeemable.
But the expression and voice Gu Seo-ryong had shown earlier, when Yoo Anna’s ability had nearly struck the girl—
She had never seen the woman call out to someone with such worry before.
Even though she must have known about the girl’s regeneration.
"...No matter how desperate I am, I don’t want to join hands with trash like Gu Seo-ryong."
Trusting Gu Seo-ryong—a villain who would stop at nothing for her goals—was no different from trusting a man-eating monster.
But Gu Seo-ryong was not a monster.
"Still, I might let myself be fooled one last time by the human Gu Seo-yul."
The name Gu Seo-yul—the name Gu Seo-ryong had gone by before becoming a notorious villain.
Trusting the humanity still left in the Black Cat and Gu Seo-ryong, Yoo Anna spoke. Gu Seo-ryong’s expression twisted with complex emotions.
"You really have no fear, digging this deep every time."
"Are you going to catch me or talk?"
"Catch you."
"Fine, give me your hand!"
As Gu Seo-ryong unfolded her arms and reached out from the black passage, Yoo Anna slapped her hand away.
Smack!
Gu Seo-ryong, struck by a hand without any ability, winced slightly and flexed her fingers.
"What was that supposed to mean?"
"I don’t want to shake hands with you."
"Oh my, thanks. I feel the same way."
Boom. Boom.
The pursuing roar swerved past the miniature sun and began closing in again.
Gu Seo-ryong waved as she retreated into the black passage.
"Well then, take care of Yeo Woon-jae."
"You’re not thinking of running away right after agreeing to cooperate, are you?"
"I’d love to, but I made a promise with the Black Cat. You take the front, we’ll handle the rear. Create an opening—we’ll tear through it the moment it appears."
"So you’re dumping everything on me?"
"If we get hit by that crazy bastard’s attacks, we’ll die too. This matchup is perfect for a brute like you, isn’t it?"
It was true. If that monster really was Yeo Woon-jae, Yoo Anna was the only one in A-City who could face it.
The Black Cat was strong but inexperienced in fighting humans, and Yoo Anna was the only one who could somewhat neutralize Yeo Woon-jae’s abilities.
"I’ll say this now—if you use spatial manipulation, it’ll lose its mind and chase after you, so keep it from getting close to me."
"That’s—haah... It’s coming. Fall back."
"Oh my, you’re really protecting me right away? Impressive. Then I’ll give you a gift too."
"I’m healed enough—ah!"
Whoosh.
Gu Seo-ryong vanished into the passage and reappeared behind Yoo Anna, driving her nails into her leg.
Enraged at being injected with something without permission, Yoo Anna clenched her fist as a surge of strength flooded her body.
"You’re not a physical enhancement type, right? Try to endure this."
"What is this?"
"What do you think? A doping drug for superpower humans."
"GROOOOAAAH!"
CRASH!
The moment Yeo Woon-jae burst through the building wall—
In her heightened senses, Yoo Anna wrapped her ability around her body and spun, deflecting the linear attack aimed straight at her.
Yeo Woon-jae’s ability should not be blocked head-on.
Don’t resist the flow—redirect it.
Recalling Yeo Woon-jae’s past lessons, Yoo Anna blocked the massive hand and wrapped her arms around its wrist.
"HAAAAAH!"
Using the momentum of the charge, she executed a throw—Slam! Her follow-up punch buried itself in the monster’s stomach, piercing through with a quiet shhk!
Mimicking Yeo Woon-jae’s stance, Yoo Anna thrust both hands forward and unleashed her ability.
BOOM!
The massive bear-like monster was sent flying, scraping against the ground.
"This is... The first time it’s actually worked."
Despite Yeo Woon-jae’s ability—shock domination that struck upon physical contact—Yoo Anna’s body remained unharmed.
She was the only one left who knew the theory behind this strange technique, useful only against Yeo Woon-jae.
Most modern superpower humans focused on increasing firepower rather than honing such skills.
Against monsters, raw power was more effective.
As Yeo Woon-jae was sent flying, Yoo Anna steadied herself with a bitter expression, orbiting the miniature sun around her.
"All heroes, listen. Partial change in plans. The Black Cat will be the one striking the monster, not me."
[What? The Black Cat?]
[The Black Cat is... In A-City?]
[Wait, you actually tamed him?!]
The morale of A-City’s heroes, already not high, rose slightly at the news that the Black Cat would be joining Starlight against the monster.
At this rate, she could leave it to them. Reassured, Yoo Anna focused on the monster before her.
"Additionally, the black-haired girl and the white-haired woman are temporary allies. Be careful not to attack them."
"Grrr..."
Yeo Woon-jae’s unusually excited state—perhaps it was fortunate this was a monstrous transformation rather than brainwashing.
Yeo Woon-jae had always been more terrifying against villains than monsters.
His combat skills against humans—relentless, complex techniques—were far deadlier.
If it was just straightforward, brute-force attacks like before, she could handle it.
"Hah... My head feels a bit clearer now."
But as Yeo Woon-jae stood, his demeanor had cooled.
Unlike the dull wavelength from earlier, it was now sharp and transparent. Yoo Anna sighed.
"Haah, seriously."
"But, Yoo Anna. Why are you here?"
If spatial manipulation alone made him lose his rationality, then without it, he was a rational monster.
Why did every crisis have to escalate like this?
"Ah, I see. You’re here to stop me."
Yeo Woon-jae—no, the owl-like monster—drew feathers from beneath its wrist.
Yoo Anna clasped her hands together and asked one question.
"There’s one thing I want to ask."
"Speak."
"What is a human?"
Blood, not human own, seeped from its mouth.
The dissonance in the wavelength, as distinct as red and blue to a superpower human’s senses.
Yet, Yoo Anna had to ask.
The monster laughed.
"Prey."
Words Yeo Woon-jae would never have spoken. The excitement of a monster before its prey, the trembling of its core.
There was no doubt.
The thing before her was no longer Yeo Woon-jae.
Just a monster wearing his memories as a disguise.
Its reaction to spatial manipulation was a remnant—something it couldn’t erase even after devouring Yeo Woon-jae.
"...Yeah, I get it."
Suppressing the urge to shut her eyes, Yoo Anna formed a sphere in her hands.
The moment her ability had awakened, the trauma engraved in her heart—the root of her power.
Monsters must be killed.
Countless repetitions of pain fueled the flames of her ability.
"You’ve already eaten Teacher, haven’t you?"
She unleashed the three miniature suns orbiting around her, straight at the monster.