The Battle for Siren's Heart (1)
Back home, Elis greeted us warmly.
"How was the Siren's Heart?"
"It was seriously beautiful. And get this—you know what's crazy? If you sprinkle seawater on the Siren's Heart, it sings a song."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The melody is so gorgeous... And hey..."
Ji-na and Elis launched into full-on girls' talk about the Siren's Heart. I left them to it and headed up to the seventh floor alone.
"It's me, Yuna..."
-Yes, Master!
"You've got a job to do."
-Just say the word.
"So, here's the deal..."
I called Yuna right away and laid out exactly what she needed to do. Mark Two gave orders to Jungbo and the others—first-string villain underlings like Karinbia. My other clones were busy cracking the whip on the skullheads, gathering weapons.
"Tch. Time's running short."
I'd planned to steal the Siren's Heart on a whim. Even if it didn't work out, I'd only feel a little bad for Elis—not a huge loss. That's why, despite hustling around for the past week, I hadn't prepped much specifically for the heist. It was all improv, banking on my superpowers and wits.
But now a quest had popped up with a special reward, putting me in a spot where I had to snag that Siren's Heart.
If I'd known about the quest earlier, I wouldn't have wasted time. What a shame.
"Looks like I gotta go all-in on the last day..."
Even pulling an all-nighter now wouldn't cut it—time was way too tight. To boost my odds even a little, I'd have to bet everything on the final day the heart was on display.
"Fuck it, should I just tell Mom and Dad?"
The easiest way: reveal my identity to Mom and Dad and ask for help. They're theft specialists—surely cooking up something safer and cleaner than my plans. Teaming up, we'd slash the difficulty, even with the Hero Association's aces guarding it.
"Nah... that'd be no fun. Save that for the absolute last resort."
But there's a catch: I'd have to spill who I really am. Dad probably suspects I'm Steel Armor, but Mom's in the dark. No way he'd tell her. I created my cloning superpower partly to protect the kids back then, but also to hide my identity. Nothing beats a clone for an alibi.
Hiding my identity is core to my villain gimmick. Sure, I blew the silent, cool manly villain vibe, but I wanted to stick to the secret identity bit.
Anyway, telling Mom and Dad is for the very, very end.
"Gotta check it out tomorrow, at least."
*****
"Ooooh...!"
"Holy shit! That's not beauty from this world!"
"And that song—it's a melody you'd never tire of, even after a lifetime!"
"Ahh... inspiration! Musical ideas are flowing! But compared to that song, mine are garbage! I'm hopeless trash! A trash human not even worth the Siren's Heart!"
Word about the Siren's Heart had spread, so day two drew a bigger crowd than yesterday. Tomorrow would be even worse—maybe standing room only.
The Siren's Heart is on display from 10 PM to 10:30 PM—30 minutes total. Jenaraider and Tough Guy stand guard on either side until it's shown. Ten A-rank heroes wait inside the aquarium hall. Fifteen more A-rank heroes patrol the museum interior. Finally, thirty A- and B-rank heroes guard the outside. Total: 57.
What the fuck. Heroes, sworn to protect citizens from villains, swarming like this just to guard one relic? That's a full sixth of the Hero Association's entire force on this one artifact escort. Disqualified as heroes!
Not that I don't get it. How many heroes died slaying the monster Siren? The Siren's Heart was carved from the heart of a beast countless senior heroes sacrificed for. To them, it's a treasure loaded with meaning.
Still! 57? You got nothing better to do?!
"Mom, Dad's not coming today?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Busy with work."
"Got it."
Not work—prepping. Mom and I kept scanning, eyes darting: hero positions, infiltration routes.
Huh?
Spotting Han Ji-min in the crowd. Her secret identity: Ice Queen, the A-rank hero the Association's hyping as the next S-rank.
Why's she here... oh, undercover duty?
No way she'd skip villain-busting to gawk at the heart two days running. And she was deep in angst, asking me what justice even means. If Ice Queen's here twice in a row, her goal's obvious: plainclothes patrol. While others guard openly in costume, she's blending as a visitor.
"Tch."
No way they sent just her. More undercover heroes in the crowd, identities hidden.
At least 58 now.
Difficulty bumped up a notch.
*****
A day later, the final display day for the Siren's Heart arrived.
"Ahh... I haven't slept a wink since seeing the Siren's Heart."
"You too? Same here. Eyes open or shut, it's always there, that song echoing in my ears."
"Imagine owning it."
"Dream come true. But even at auction, we couldn't afford it."
"Yeah... sigh..."
Overheard some noblewomen in pricey accessories chatting. Auction, huh...
Gonna fetch a ridiculous price.
Couldn't even guess the bid on the Siren's Heart. My chaebol heir spending had ballooned beyond my old Korean days, but still—no clue. Astronomical sum, probably enough to buy all of Dark City. Dad couldn't swing it either.
As expected, day three was packed. Acardan Museum sent invites only to elites, yet this turnout meant basically all of Dark City's upper crust was here.
"Drop a bomb here, and it'd spark total panic."
Our family, the Francesco clan, Gwen family—economic pillars—plus mayor, politicians, prosecutors, judges. The elite of elites. Wipe 'em out, and Dark City turns lawless overnight.
Not happening, though. More heroes on guard than yesterday.
Wonder where Duran's at? That punk's MIA.
Scanned the Francesco group—no Duran, my "friend." Needed to mess with him soon.
"Mom, Dad skipping today too?"
"Yeah. He's got a ton on his plate."
"Right."
Dad skipped again. But I knew: today was their D-Day. Mine too.
No chance after tonight—the heart goes into unknown storage.
"Today marks the final display of the Siren's Heart. We hope our esteemed guests enjoy its splendor to your heart's content."
At 10 PM, the Siren's Heart reappeared before the crowd. And—
"KyaAhhh!"
"Kill 'em all!"
Gunfire, screams, and a raspy shout erupted outside the museum.
The real party's on.
*****
As expected.
I checked the time and nodded inwardly. A masterpiece carved from a monster's heart? Not just me, Mom, and Dad eyeing it.
Heroes be damned—greed blinds villains to danger.
"Freeze!"
"Siren's Heart! It's in there!"
"With that, no more scraping by!"
Greedy criminals clashed with heroes outside. Villains mixed in—fire and lightning streaked the sky.
"Aaaah!"
"S-save me!"
"Stay down!"
But the tide turned fast. Heroes crushed the villains and thugs effortlessly. No surprise—veteran A- and B-ranks, not rookies. Even B-ranks were promotion-ready.
Overwhelming power gap.
I called Yuna while watching.
"All prepped?"
-Yes, Master! Just like you said!
"Good girl. See you soon."
-Yes!
Hung up, pulled a mask from my suit pocket, and slipped it on.
"Sss~ Hah..."
Overwhelming confidence surged from deep within. Who could stop me?
Let's begin.
'Okay. Good luck, original!'
'You too.'
Inside with Mom and Ji-na? Not the original—clone Mark Three. I, the original packed with four level-10 powers, waited outside.
Biggest roadblock to swiping the heart? S-rank heroes, obviously. Jenaraider and Tough Guy glued to its sides—impossible to breach.
So, lure at least one outside.
'Mark Two, your turn.'
'Got it.'
Ordered Mark Two, also outside. Menacing skullhead crew advanced on the museum.
"Huh? Those guys..."
"Skull Heads?"
Heroes busting villains spotted the approaching baldies instantly. Only my skullheads shave heads and tattoo skulls there.
"Shit! Steel Armor's here!"
"Alert the inside—now!"
Heroes bit their lips seeing me lead the pack. An S-rank villain's no joke, even for A-ranks.
They hesitated to rush me. Confirmed they radioed inside, then ordered my crew:
"Fire."
Pong-! Pong-! Pong-! Pong-! Pong-!
"What?"
Skullheads halted in a line across the road and launched their loads. Canisters hit before the heroes, spewing smoke.
"Gah!"
"Wind power—clear this smoke now!"
Heroes panicked in the fog. A wind user tried blowing it away.
Oh no you don't.
Slipped into the smoke during the chaos and activated a skill.
World of Zero Gravity.
"Wh-what the—?!"
"What's happening?!"
"Suddenly—?!"
Gravity vanished in the area—heroes floated up. They flailed to descend but stayed airborne.
Attraction.
"Huh? Uwaaaaaah! Gah?!"
Like reeling in fish, I yanked heroes one by one with Attraction and clocked 'em. Lights out from vicious chestnuts.
Which S-rank's coming out to play?
While fishing heroes from the smoke, four emerged from the museum: three A-ranks, and...
"Steel Armor!"
Jenaraider stepped out.