60
Ch.60 By Expression.
Get a taste of your own medicine.
"How messed up is this report? Nothing in it is accurate. You said the Black Cat has no fatal weaknesses? That it can’t be caught because it just runs away without fighting?"
Electress stared at Yoo Anna with disdainful eyes after seeing the Black Cat, who hadn’t fled.
"It has weaknesses, it didn’t run, and it could’ve been caught just like this."
"I told you, the Black Cat extermination is canceled. Even if you keep attacking, I won’t help you."
Yoo Anna warned Electress, who was steadily amplifying her abilities while facing the Black Cat.
This extermination mission was already something she didn’t want to do, but Electress had the audacity to suggest using the shelter’s civilians as hostages by exploiting the Black Cat’s nature—calling it a ‘strategy’.
Electress had just handed Yoo Anna the perfect justification to stop the hunt.
Now, even if someone asked why she didn’t cooperate with the Black Cat’s extermination, Yoo Anna had a valid reason.
"You’re just gonna let it go? Are you seriously a monster sympathizer?"
As Yoo Anna took a step back, Electress smirked as if things had gone her way and lifted a pile of concrete and steel beams above her head.
Starlight, who was nothing but a hindrance rather than help, would soon witness Electress—not anyone else—proving herself as the strongest S-rank hero by defeating the Black Cat alone.
"Then I’ll catch it by myself. Stay out of it!"
"You really shouldn’t fight alone..."
Filled with anticipation, Electress unleashed another rain of steel, identical to before. the Black Cat tore open space again, swallowing the debris.
No matter how much of a Despair-class it is, if it didn’t move from its spot, it was just a sandbag.
Any counterattacks could be dodged with reaction speed.
She’d keep pressuring it like this—until it died.
"Huh?"
The moment that thought crossed her mind, the space right in front of Electress split open, and something shot out from the gap.
Ratatatat! Along with the sound of a machine gun, the steel beams the Black Cat had swallowed earlier poured out in an instant.
Electress, who had barely transformed into lightning and escaped, screamed in horror as the steel beams chased after her.
"W-What the?! Telekinesis?!"
Kiiing! The steel beams, now faster than when Electress had fired them, pierced through her.
As an energy entity, physical damage meant nothing—steel beams shouldn’t have hurt her.
That’s how it should have been.
"Guhk?!"
The lightning wrapped around the steel beams tore into Electress’ body like opposing magnetic poles pulling her apart.
Riiip—Riiip— The agony of her flesh being ripped apart broke Electress’ focus, and her body reverted to its original form.
Beside her, the steel rain she had already dodged once came crashing down again.
Electress concentrated all her abilities to create a defensive barrier.
She planned to use electromagnetic induction to deflect the steel beams—
Then, the Black Cat mimicked her ability and interfered with her electromagnetic field.
"T-This is—! AAAAH!"
Screech—Screech— With metallic groans, the steel beams that had been veering away from Electress began shifting direction, one by one.
Electress, impaled through her limbs by long steel rods, let out a scream of agony.
Electress was the fastest superpower human among S-rank heroes—and also the physically weakest.
"What are you doing?! Backup!"
"I said I wouldn’t help."
Yoo Anna had known this would happen the moment Electress decided to fight the Black Cat alone.
The fact that the Black Cat hadn’t run meant it was ready to fight. A creature that usually fled instantly, choosing to fight meant it was furious, but also that it had already planned its countermeasures.
There was a reason Yoo Anna hadn’t been able to catch the Black Cat until now.
"The same tricks won’t keep working on the Black Cat."
Electress, already weakened from having half her abilities severed, stood no chance alone.
Still, an S-rank superpower human wouldn’t die that easily.
With the thought that Electress could use a lesson from the Black Cat, Yoo Anna ignored her pleas for help.
What interested her more was the Black Cat’s fighting style.
Realizing it could manipulate conductors using Thunder Tiger’s ability, it was now perfectly replicating Electress’ techniques.
As if it were human, it was learning how to use its abilities.
"Starlight! Are you just gonna let an S-rank hero die?!"
"You told me not to help."
"Help! HELP ME!"
As Electress transformed into lightning again to escape, the Black Cat, now also lightning, blocked her path.
The steel beams, juggled rapidly around them, formed a massive electromagnetic prison, trapping Electress inside.
"Containment Field...?"
Both Electress and Yoo Anna’s eyes widened.
This time, it was mimicking Kage’s ability.
A power far surpassing Electress’, absolute dominance over abilities.
A containment field specifically designed to prevent Electress from escaping, even as lightning.
Inside it, torn space engulfed Electress.
"AAAAAAH!"
Trapped, Electress could do nothing.
Even with her immunity to electrical abilities, this was too much.
Thinking the fight was decided, Yoo Anna sighed and tried to stop the Black Cat—
Just then, the battered Electress strained her abilities, wresting control of a single steel beam from the Black Cat.
A red-hot iron rod—a single streak of light shot like a laser.
Thunk!
The Black Cat stopped the attack, using telekinesis to halt the steel beam as it burrowed into the ground.
"G-Go stop it...! If you don’t, the people in the shelter will die!"
"That crazy bitch!"
A tug-of-war of abilities—Electress trying to drive the steel beam deeper, the Black Cat trying to pull it out.
With both concentrating on a single beam, the electric containment field dissolved, and the floating steel beams came crashing down.
The winner was decided in an instant.
Crreeak!
The twisted steel beams moved like snakes, coiling around Electress’ body.
Then, others followed, wrapping around her, paralyzing her as they pulsed with the Black Cat’s electricity.
"GRAAAAH!"
Then—the Black Cat swung Electress.
BOOM!
Slammed into the ground, still wrapped in steel, Electress spasmed, sparks flying from her body.
Again—BOOM! BOOM!—into walls, into the floor, over and over.
"Save... Me... Starlight...!"
Unable to turn into lightning due to the interference from the steel coils, Electress was beaten mercilessly.
Crackle, crackle— The sparks jumping from her body gradually faded.
"Save... Me..."
"Sigh... The Black Cat."
Electress, her body shattered worse than even Kage had left, lay broken.
Starlight unfolded her arms and stepped forward.
This was enough of a lesson, right?
As much as she despised the woman, she couldn’t let an S-rank hero die.
"That’s enough. Let her go now."
"Grrrr..."
The Black Cat was a monster that could understand speech—it had handed over a core before, and prioritized humans over its own kind.
Maybe because she’d seen it act like this multiple times, Yoo Anna spoke to it lightly.
But the Black Cat responded by biting into Electress’ body, mocking her.
"AAAAAAAH!"
"Stop—! Stop it!"
Crunch. The sound of ribs breaking snapped Yoo Anna back to focus.
The brain and heart were the sources of abilities.
Even if it didn’t want to kill, this was why Yoo Anna had hesitated.
The nature the Black Cat had shown while fighting Kage.
There was no telling when it would stop its odd behavior and revert to instinct.
Because the Black Cat was a monster.
Had the time bomb finally gone off?
Her heart pounded violently, her abilities surging in response to her panic.
BOOM!
Her fist lashed out—the Black Cat vanished, and Electress collapsed.
As the Black Cat reappeared before her, Yoo Anna, standing over the fatally wounded Electress, now coughing up bloody foam, spoke urgently.
"D-Don’t kill her!"
Baring its teeth, growling, the Black Cat stared back—and Yoo Anna felt a strange disconnect with herself.
Why am I stopping the Black Cat?
In that moment, the one who had acted like a monster wasn’t the Black Cat—it was Electress.
"I get that you’re angry. She came out of nowhere and... I’m angry too. I didn’t think she’d use civilians as hostages."
But still, no matter how trashy her actions, she was a hero.
A piece of shit, yes, but in A-City, she was hailed as a hero who’d slain countless monsters.
Her personality was garbage, but she’d saved far more than she’d failed.
A blade humanity needed to protect itself from monsters.
"Nothing like today will happen again. No other heroes will come after you for just existing—I’ll make sure of it."
Now that Electress had set this precedent, Yoo Anna had leverage.
So, heroes wouldn’t pointlessly attack the Black Cat anymore...
The more she spoke, the heavier her self-loathing grew.
It was the heroes who had suddenly come to exterminate the Black Cat, after it had helped take down the bad cats.
A hero who protected civilians had to be protected.
But was a hero who used civilians as hostages really a hero?
Was a monster that protected humans really a monster?
The Black Cat had to be put down the moment it stepped out of line.
Electress had to be protected, no matter what she did.
Heroes lived because they were heroes.
Monsters died because they were monsters.
An incorrect answer—but the only one that applied to the Black Cat.
"...I’m begging you. Can’t we end it here?"
Still, Yoo Anna had to protect Electress.
Partly because she didn’t want the Black Cat to harm humans, but also to protect the Black Cat.
If an S-rank hero capable of fighting Despair-class monsters was killed, the Black Cat’s threat level would skyrocket.
The government would send even more forces to eliminate it before it reached Annihilation-class.
The Black Cat would have to die before it became a true threat.
To prevent that, Yoo Anna had to...
"Tch..."
Feeling the growing contradictions in her actions, Yoo Anna’s expression twisted.
She didn’t want to kill the Black Cat.
She didn’t want to let a monster that threatened civilians live.
Starlight, the hero, distrusted the Black Cat to the end.
Yoo Anna, the person, wanted to believe in it.
What do I even want?
The moment Yoo Anna unconsciously lowered her abilities, which had been aimed at the Black Cat—
[Why?]
The wind howled strangely, carrying a low voice.
Had she misheard? As Yoo Anna froze, the wind mimicked human speech again—like whispers from a dark cave.
[Is that thing really human?]
"Huh?"
A chill ran down her spine.
A monster spoke.
Not like some monsters that mimicked human words without meaning—pleas for help, or announcing their presence.
The Black Cat had spoken.
"You... You can talk...?"
"A-Ahh...! AAAAH!"
While Yoo Anna was stunned, a sinister energy pulsed behind her.
Spatial distortion—Electress’ already half-conscious arms crumpled like paper.
A scream of agony.
Yoo Anna overlayed her own abilities onto the warping space, burning away the Black Cat’s power.
Stop. Please.
Words swirled in her mouth, unspoken.
Dust-covered ruins.
Electress, writhing in pain despite her superpower human regeneration, bleeding out.
Forgetting even the shock of the Black Cat’s speech, Yoo Anna could only beg for it to leave.
The Black Cat stared at her silently, then slowly sank into the shadows.
Monster signal—LOST.
The Black Cat had fled.
***
Crushed arms, broken legs, fractured ribs, penetrating wounds, lacerations—everywhere.
After the mangled Electress was hospitalized, those who heard of her defeat quietly rejoiced.
[Wait, Electress really lost to the Black Cat? Why isn’t this on the news?]
[They don’t even cover the Black Cat’s anymore, so no surprise.]
[I mean, Electress is below the Black Cat level, right?]
[My doctor friend said her fingers are all mismatched now.]
[She’s covered in scars—can’t even wear crop tops anymore, huh?]
[Some residual energy stuck in the scars, so even her regeneration can’t fix them.]
[LMAO, Electress getting wrecked is the best thing ever. Upvote if you agree ㅋㅋ.]
The citizens laughed, unfazed by a monster brutalizing a hero.
If anything, they seemed happy.
Even the heroes, who would’ve normally been demoralized, quietly smirked.
"She said she’d definitely win if we followed her plan. What happened?"
"She ignored it and charged in."
"Just like Kage."
"She did say she had a strategy—using the shelter hostages."
"Wait, seriously? That’s insane."
"How is someone like that even considered a hero?"
The hostage situation—a tightly guarded secret.
The idea of a hero using civilians as leverage was too absurd to spread, lest it cause panic.
A complete gag order had been issued—but only to prevent leaks outside.
Once the story spread among W-City’s heroes, their hostility toward Electress grew—while their favorability toward the Black Cat soared.
"The Black Cat’s seriously impressive... Protecting civilians from a psycho hero."
"If the public knew, it’d be chaos."
"If only it weren’t a monster..."
"At this point, shouldn’t we just trust it?"
Meanwhile, Electress, now back on her feet, gnashed her teeth at the heroes’ whispers.
"I didn’t lose—Starlight didn’t back me up! She just watched! I asked for help!"
Her brown skin now marred with white scars, Electress gripped the parallel bars during rehab, her mouth never stopping.
"W-City is the worst. The heroes—laughing at an injured S-rank! The citizens—trash, all of them! They’d be monster food without us, yet they dare insult heroes!"
Wearing gloves to hide her ruined hands, Electress seethed.
Nothing had gone right since coming to W-City.
The giant villain who attacked her, the Black Cat, the citizens, the heroes, Starlight—all infuriating.
"They’ll regret this. S-rank support isn’t common. If that monster grows stronger—if it becomes Annihilation-class—no one will come to save them. They’ll all die!"
Then, a hero watching from afar muttered,
"Meow."
"GYAH?!"
Electress’ legs gave out. Trembling in terror, she collapsed as distant heroes stifled laughter.
Lately, this had become a popular way to mess with her.
"She freaks out just hearing a cat now."
"The Black Cat really did a number on her."
"H-Hic... Uuugh..."
Electress sat on the floor, trembling, drowning in humiliation.
Her body, still broken, muscles unresponsive.
The floor beneath her felt damp.
Overwhelmed by shame, she clenched her fists and cried.
Then, Iron Might, passing by, dumped his drink on her.
"Huh...?"
Splash.
Drenched, Electress sat frozen as the snickering heroes nearby fell silent.
"Is this payback for making him fetch drinks during meetings?"
"Damn, didn’t think Iron Might was this petty."
"Guess he’s not scared of her, even if she’s S-rank."
Cola dripped from Electress’ hair.
Iron Might watched her silently, then walked away without a word.