Escape
"Halt!!"
As I walked toward the villains waiting ahead, a roar tore through the air behind me.
"Take one more step and we fire!!"
"Don't try anything stupid!"
Glancing over my shoulder, I saw heavily armed operatives sprinting toward me with rifles raised.
If I stop, you're going to execute me anyway. Who in their right mind would freeze?
Scoffing under my breath, I tried to quicken my pace, only to run headlong into an immediate obstacle.
The impact from the building's collapse had loosened my restraints enough for me to shuffle forward, but dodging incoming bullets in this state was well beyond my capabilities.
"Hey, how much longer is this going to take?"
When I cast a slightly troubled look toward the front, the blonde leader scratched her head and keyed an open frequency on her radio.
"After acting so cool a second ago, this really kills the mood," I muttered.
Almost simultaneously, perched on the edge of a distant rooftop, a petite girl began hammering away frantically at a laptop keyboard.
Beep...!
In mere seconds, every restraint binding my limbs disengaged and clattered to the floor.
Evidently, the bindings hadn't loosened because of the structural shock at all—that girl had hijacked the transmission signal controlling them.
Come to think of it, only one person alive was capable of pulling off something so absurd.
A genius who routinely hijacked the Hero Association's internal network as easily as breathing—only to waste her brilliant conquests spending all day flooding their boards with grotesque memes and trolling propaganda.
"Could that girl be... Pandora?"
"She absolutely despises that villain name," the leader replied breezily, "but let's just say she is."
Seeing that she didn't bother denying it, my guess was right on the mark.
Thinking back on the countless nights of unpaid overtime she had forced upon me made my blood boil, but considering she had just saved my life, I supposed I could let it slide.
Still, I had always assumed she was at least a man in his twenties. To think she was actually such a frail, sickly-looking young girl.
No wonder she had never once turned up in my investigation net.
"What are you waiting for?! Shoot!!"
As I scratched my head over the dangerous folly of preconceived notions, a sharp bellow snapped me back to reality.
"B-But, Captain..."
"He's a death row inmate anyway! Open fire this instant!!"
Yet observing the scene, something felt distinctly off.
Just as the commander ordered, a relentless hail of lead should have rained down by now. Why were those idiots behind me merely shouting threats instead of pulling the trigger?
"W-Wait! You can't!!"
The answer to my question arrived in the form of Lumia's desperate voice cutting through the smoke behind them.
"N-Now that Kang Haneul Sunbae's connection to Dominating Hands has been exposed... capturing him alive to extract intel is far better than outright killing him...!"
The armed guards who had done nothing but bark threats were now casting nervous, shifting glances toward the screaming Lumia.
Watching that unfold, it became clear: Lumia had subtly planted her own pawns among Karma's garrison.
Just how long had she been setting this up?
A chill crept down my spine.
Well, fortunate for me, this particular variable was working in my favor.
Clack...!
However, the remaining guards had already aligned their gun barrels squarely at my chest. Converting all of Karma's armed forces to her side had proven impossible even for Lumia.
"Tsk."
Instinctively, I shoved a hand into my pocket, but found it predictably empty.
Was I really about to be riddled with bullet holes after coming this far?
"No matter how rushed you are, completely ignoring the person standing right in front of you is rather rude."
It seemed my concern was entirely unwarranted.
Crack-crack-crack-boom...!
"Honestly, it hurts my pride a little."
The volley of gunfire the soldiers had bravely unleashed shattered against a towering barricade of floating cards that surged upward at a flick of the leader's wrist, bouncing harmlessly into the dust.
"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet."
As I watched in a daze while she manipulated dozens of cards with single finger motions, she vaulted down into the shattered chamber and offered a friendly smile.
"Welcome to Dominating Hands, Kang Haneul. That is your name, right?"
"...Yeah."
"I'm the leader, Paradise. You can call me Dice for short. Or just Paradise. Whichever makes you comfortable."
As she stepped closer, the moonlight broke through the shadows to reveal her features clearly.
Gleaming, lustrous blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, an ethereal visage that carried an uncanny sense of mystery, and a sharp, tailored white suit. Setting aside everything else, a single glance at her presence was enough to confirm she was no ordinary human.
"Though it looks like we have far too many party crashers."
While I scanned her to gather whatever read I could, Dice knitted her brow slightly and cast a cold sidelong glance behind me.
"Ugh..."
"Where is... our backup?"
"Reinforcements won't cut it! We need a Top Hero here immediately!"
Looking past her, I was met with utter bedlam.
Cards whistled through the air like razor blades, scattering the guard unit in sheer panic, while other villains seized the opening to systematically suppress the defenders.
"Everyone... fall back."
At the exact moment our victory seemed assured, a sharp, commanding voice cut across the wreckage.
"If you are looking for a Top Hero, she is already here."
Rank 3 in Korea, Rank 11 in the world.
A premier talent hailed as the destined successor to the late Justia.
My adoptive older sister, Kang Maru.
Having evacuated Lumia toward the emergency exit, she had returned to the front lines, striding toward us with a chilling, demonic expression carved onto her face.
"...My sister's ability is quite troublesome."
"Indeed it is. Even for me, she's a handful."
In all honesty, my sister was monstrously strong.
Ordinary villains couldn't even stand in her presence, and even the head of the Villain League would grimace at the prospect of facing her.
However...
"Could I borrow a smartphone, by any chance?"
Every ability had an exploit.
"Nothing elaborate, it's just that the medium for my ability is..."
"You're going to use the Hypnosis App?"
"Ah, yes. Exactly that."
Muttering in agreement, I prepared to test the theoretical countermeasure I had drafted against my sister for the very first time—when reality suddenly caught up with me.
"Wait, what did you just say?"
Doubting my own ears, I stared at Dice.
"I had one prepared in advance. Pandora programmed it herself, though I'm not sure if it matches your preferences."
"H-How do you... know about my ability?"
Dice closed the distance until she stood directly before me, pressing a sleek smartphone into my palm before leaning in to whisper in a sweet, velvety murmur.
"...That's a secret."
"What?"
"Maybe I'll tell you once we get a little closer."
The mysterious smile she offered caught the silver moonlight, gleaming with subtle brilliance.
Inhale.
Evading Dice's cards with fluid, razor-sharp movements, Maru drew a deep breath and instantly closed the gap between us.
"My ability has a fatal flaw. You, of all people, know it well."
Even as she ducked beneath the flurry of cards, her gaze remained locked entirely on me.
"You're likely trying to construct a strategy around that weakness."
There was not a single shred of warmth or familial sentiment in her eyes.
"That will be your undoing."
To her, the person standing before her was nothing more than a heinous villain.
"Freeze."
Breaching the storm of cards until she stood mere paces from Dice and me, Maru issued her command with eyes glowing with ruthless authority.
Crackle...!
With a sound resembling a burst of electric sparks, our limbs locked up completely, freezing us in place.
"Oh my. Bondage play," Dice murmured playfully.
"You could issue commands to more than one person at a time?" I asked, looking directly into my sister's eyes while forcing myself to ignore Dice's inappropriate commentary.
"You aren't the only one who concealed information regarding their ability."
"...I see."
As her hero name 'Great Order' implied, the power dwelling within my sister was the Concept of Command.
Her publicly known capability was imposing an absolute command upon a single target at a time. Yet looking at the current situation, she was evidently capable of commanding everyone within her visual field. The only reason she had rushed into our immediate vicinity was to bring the villains hidden behind the structural debris into her line of sight as well.
"It's over, Kang Haneul."
While I was busily cataloging this new revelation, she drew a sidearm from her coat and leveled the barrel straight at my forehead.
"At the very least, let me be the one to end your life."
Saying so, she tilted her head slightly—a subtle subconscious habit she exhibited only when she was completely certain of victory.
"I've told you time and again, Noona."
Unfortunately for her, she had popped the champagne far too early.
"You are not omnipotent."
It was time to become the genuine villain she so desperately wanted me to be.
"......?!"
Realizing Kang Haneul's arm was rising at blinding speed, Kang Maru tensed her muscles and dropped into a defensive stance, but it was already too late.
"Everyone, look over here."
His voice was smooth yet carried an undeniable resonance, causing nearly everyone on the battlefield to reflexively cast their eyes upward.
"Don't look!"
"E-Everyone close your eyes!!"
Lumia's loyal subordinates, who had received a brief warning regarding his supernatural ability, shrieked in terror and squeezed their eyes shut.
"Huh...? What is that...?"
"I-I'm suddenly so sleepy..."
"What is this... child's play...?"
Too many had already laid eyes upon the smartphone held aloft in his hand—specifically, the hypnotic vortex spinning endlessly across the screen.
"That revolting girl... I knew she wouldn't disclose my ability to everyone."
Watching the armed forces collapse into stupor within seconds, Kang Haneul muttered as if he had expected nothing less.
Stay calm. Even if he leaves my sight, an issued command remains absolute until its duration expires. I don't know how he slipped out of it, but as long as I subdue him again...
Her superhuman instincts having allowed her to snap her eyelids shut before seeing the screen, his sister ground her teeth in the dark. Having reached her conclusion, she applied steady pressure to the trigger of her sidearm.
"How do you expect to hit a target with your eyes closed?"
"Kh?!"
A card whistled through the air like a bullet and struck her wrist with pinpoint precision, knocking the firearm from her grip.
"My aim is better than I thought. Good thing I keep spares on me."
"...Did you really have to draw it from down there?"
"Well, I have more in my pants pocket too."
"........."
"It's just the most comfortable spot, and it's the fastest to draw from."
Watching Dice pat her cleavage with an innocent expression, Kang Haneul flushed faintly before turning on his heel to walk forward.
"Just what kind of trick did you pull...?"
Thus, the siblings stood face-to-face once more, their positions entirely reversed.
"The moment I turned on the phone, I cast hypnosis on myself."
"Hypnosis?"
"A single psychological suggestion that I would obey no one's command was all it took."
At the icy tone—a voice she had never once heard from her younger brother—Maru's brow twitched as she bit her lip in bitter silence.
"Overcoming it with something so crude...?"
"Your ability is condition-manipulating. It's inherently vulnerable to interference from other mental and conceptual powers. Did the Academy's valedictorian seriously not know that?"
"Ugh..."
Observing her grimace, Kang Haneul sensed several people lingering with their eyes closed behind his sister, and he raised the smartphone once more.
"Take one more step forward and you'll end up like..."
As he scrolled through the options crowding the Hypnosis App's interface, his voice suddenly trailed off, his face freezing in pure disbelief.
"...Why are all these functions so completely unhinged?"
Visibly flustered, Haneul swung his gaze toward Dice.
"You don't like them? Pandora and I spent hours reviewing reference material together to put that together."
"Just what on earth were you two reading?!"
"Well, in manga and anime, isn't this how it always works...?"
"F-Fire!! Aim high and shoot blind...!"
Seizing upon the momentary distraction, Lumia's blindfolded pawns attempted one final desperate gambit.
"In any case, it's about time we took our leave."
The instant the command's duration expired, Dice swept a single card through the air, neutralizing the remaining soldiers in an instant before signaling our retreat.
"Scores of heroes have already reached the perimeter. Just four executives are barely keeping them pinned down."
"They're already here? Then we need to hurry... Ugh."
Preparing to move, Kang Haneul suddenly stumbled, his body buckling under the immense toll of accumulated exhaustion and trauma.
"Hey, aren't you going to take your revenge?"
"Revenge?"
"You look like you've built up quite the grudge. We're short on time, but I can spare a minute for that much."
Dice smoothly offered her shoulder to support him. As she asked with sudden curiosity, Kang Haneul leaned his weight against her and quietly raised the smartphone.
"Is a newcomer allowed to handle such things personally?"
"Never meddle in another person's revenge—that is my cardinal rule."
He gazed at her enigmatic expression for a brief moment before turning his eyes back toward Great Order.
"In that case... could you support me for a second?"
At his request, Dice flashed a deeply satisfied grin and nodded.
"Huh? Ah..."
"Is that really enough? Are you sure?"
Glancing back at Great Order, who stood in a daze with an unfocused, half-asleep expression under the residual effects of the hypnosis, Dice turned to me.
"It's plenty."
Nodding as I savored a cathartic sense of relief I hadn't felt in years, I surveyed our surroundings.
"By the way, where did Ira go?"
"Ira?"
Her figure was nowhere to be seen. She had definitely lost consciousness earlier and collapsed nearby.
Where could she have gone?
Did she slip away on her own?
If she were anywhere nearby, there was no way I would miss her. Most likely, she had disguised herself and melted into the fleeing personnel.
While I would have preferred escaping alongside her, knowing she had made it out safely was a relief in its own right. Her future was a matter of grave concern, but surviving took precedence. Once I made it out of here, finding her would be my top priority.
"How are we supposed to get out of here anyway?"
"I have a way."
When I voiced my question after concluding my thoughts, Dice smiled brightly and spread her arms wide.
"Come on, jump into my arms."
"Excuse me?"
"Hurry up and hug me! What are you waiting for?"
Staring at her in utter bewilderment, I looked up toward the sky and finally grasped her intention.
"Is that your hideout?"
"Under permanent stealth cloaking. Even for Top Heroes, tracking it down is virtually impossible—an invincible aerial fortress."
A long, sturdy cable hung down from a massive silhouette hovering high above the clouds.
A thoroughly classic extraction method, but undeniably effective.
"Um..."
"Hehe."
As I tentatively wrapped my arms around her waist for the ascent, her soft warmth pressed firmly against me.
"Hold on a little tighter."
"........."
"Lock your legs around me too."
It wasn't that I was particularly embarrassed. Her face was simply far too close.
"Ah, yes. Perfect. Just like that."
A string of text flashed rapidly across Dice's smartwatch display, but I deliberately turned my head and pretended not to see it.
"All right, up we go."
After we held that posture for a brief moment, Dice seized the cable and gave a signal.
"NOOO!!!"
It happened right then.
"You blonde bitch, who the hell are you?! Why are you showing up now?!"
"........."
"Why are you barging in out of nowhere and ruining everything?!!"
Lumia's hysterical screech tore through the air from below.
"This is wrong! This is completely wrong!!"
"Hmm?"
"Sunbae isn't meant to end up with an extra like you!!!"
Seeing the girl who had always looked down on me with smug superiority reduced to such frantic desperation, I could only stare in blank astonishment.
"What's the matter?"
At the sound of Dice's chilling voice, drawing her black cloak around me to deliberately shield me from view, I shifted my gaze back toward her.
"You love stealing from others so much..."
Dice cast a cold, mocking gaze downward.
"...are you not used to having things stolen from you?"
Just how much did this blonde girl know?
How would Lumia react moving forward, and in what direction would my destiny now unravel?
As countless questions swirled through my exhausted mind, I could no longer resist the heavy weight pulling at my eyelids, and I slowly let them close.
...Serves you right.
Right before consciousness faded entirely, my very last thought was that Lumia's horrified, shattered expression was truly a sight to behold.