Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Bark for Me
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“Argh! Smiling Man! You damn bastard!!”
Valkyrie screamed as she shoved Tattoos away with all her might.
The moment she retreated, the spot where her feet had been began to corrode.
Narcissus's Reverse Sword. Anything it touched rotted away without fail.
She considered blocking with her shield but quickly dismissed the idea.
Poisons and plagues were meant to be avoided, after all.
'Seriously, Smiling Man. If I see you again, you're dead meat!'
When she'd perfectly subdued Massacre, she'd inwardly applauded him.
Taking down a Catastrophe-Class villain so effortlessly!
You're amazing. You've got talent. How about putting that to use instead of paying for your crimes? Like donating your abilities or something!
Now finish off Narcissus too! And this tattooed pig!
But what was this? Smiling Man had vanished in a puff!
Right before, he'd looked at her, grinning, and shouted,
“Hahaha! Hero Valkyrie! I'll leave the rest to you!”
“Hey! Hey? Leave the rest to me?!”
This wasn't leaving the rest to her—it was dumping a steaming pile of crap!
Couldn't he see her locked in a brutal fight with this greatsword-wielding villain?
After taking down one of the Seven Evils, he should've cleaned up the rest!
That gloomy swordsman wasn't chasing him—he was coming straight for her!
Clang!—
“Guh!”
The greatsword smashed into her spear shaft, sending sharp pain racing up her arm.
Her body hummed with the impact. It was so strong she nearly dropped her spear.
Shuuuaak!—
Narcissus's sword flew at her again. But she couldn't dodge this time.
If she pulled back, Tattoos's blade would sever her arm.
And defending? She'd never shake off that greatsword.
Smiling Man, you jerk! If you're gonna take someone down, why not this guy too!
Expecting too much from a villain? But you said you weren't one!
Why turn yourself in if you're not? And why attack the Seven Evils!
“Senior!”
“Perfect timing! Muyoung!”
As expected. When it came to heroes, you could only count on other heroes!
Rot in hell, Smiling Man! Dumping this crap and running off!
Thwack!—
Muyoung emerged from the shadows, unleashing a flashy flurry of kicks.
He precisely kicked away Narcissus's sword, which had been aimed at Valkyrie.
Poison and acid seeped in, but the shadows pulled back before they could take hold.
S-Rank Hero Muyoung. His ability: Shadow Play.
He manipulated shadows at will, with a specialty in cloaking his body.
This made him resistant to abilities that dealt ongoing physical damage.
He was a natural counter to Narcissus's poisons, acids, and plagues.
“...This is about to get very noisy.”
A new S-Rank Hero's arrival. Tattoos spat on the ground.
Narcissus, his former ally, was signaling he was done and pulling back.
It meant if they planned to keep fighting, he'd bail.
'The others...'
The Maniac and the Vengeful Ghost were holding their own against other S-Rank Heroes.
But this balance wouldn't last. More heroes would arrive soon.
By now, the illusion around the police station should've mostly dissipated.
'The crazy bitch is MIA, which bugs me.'
Unlike heroes, who never abandoned comrades,
villains saw allies as disposable parts.
The strong survived; the weak were culled.
Today, it just happened to be Massacre, who'd held out so well.
Whistle!—
The Seven Evils immediately broke away from the heroes and converged on Tattoos.
As if on cue.
“Think you can escape?!”
“Ignition! Wall 'em in with fire!”
They had to keep the Seven Evils pinned. Reinforcements were coming.
Annihilate them here, and villains wouldn't dare move for a while.
A peaceful Korea for at least a month. Imagine that beauty.
Despite their wounds, every S-Rank Hero burned with resolve.
But sadly, no scene of them wiping out the Seven Evils materialized.
“...Guardian Senior! Shield!!”
Almost simultaneously with Valkyrie's shout, pitch-black flames rained from the sky.
Kwaaang!!—
It incinerated and melted everything in its path in an instant.
Sizzling wreckage collapsed, revealing a dark shape atop the ceiling.
“That black lizard bastard! Yeah, I wondered where you were hiding!”
Seven Evils: Black Dragon. Ability: Transformation into other creatures.
Unlike most transformation abilities that mimicked real animals,
Black Dragon took the form of a movie-style dragon, true to his name.
He was even a former hero who'd turned villain.
To heroes, he was a traitor who had to be captured and executed.
“Valkyrie Senior! Incoming again!”
Black flames swept over the heroes' position once more.
Meanwhile, the Seven Evils leaped up and grabbed his tail.
Infuriating, but pursuit was impossible. They had the advantage in the air.
Plus, chasing recklessly risked civilian casualties.
“...They're gone.”
Valkyrie slumped first, tension draining from her.
Guardian and Ignition followed suit, with Muyoung supporting them.
Commotion echoed from afar. Reinforcements were arriving.
“...Wait. Valkyrie? What about Smiling Man?”
“No idea. That jerk can drop dead for all I care.”
Rumble!—
A collapse sounded, and all the heroes jumped back up.
They expanded their senses, bracing for a possible second wave.
But it wasn't necessary. The figures who appeared were...
“What the hell? Weren't you cadets evacuated?! And why do you look like that?!”
“Muyoung. Didn't you take the cadets out?”
“We... prioritized the police and when we turned back, they were gone.”
Not as battered as the S-Ranks, but the cadets were in rough shape.
And beyond their condition, they all looked shell-shocked.
What happened? She had to ask...
Clap clap clap!—
“Impressive. Truly impressive. Even gravely wounded, to think the cadets took down one of the Seven Evils! Excellent. My eyes never deceive me!”
A figure perched on the rubble, applauding.
Valkyrie shook her fist wildly the moment she saw who it was.
“Hey, you! Smiling Man! You rotten bastard!”
“Ow! That's hurtful, Hero Valkyrie. You fought so hard, and this is the thanks I get?”
“If you're gonna fight, finish the last one too! You can't just dump him on me and bail?!”
“Sheesh. No soup for me, and now this? You're asking too much!”
“Did you catch some fatal disease from skipping that soup or what?!”
Was this any way for a hero and a villain(?) to talk?
The other heroes tilted their heads, but Smiling Man didn't care.
“...Wait a sec.”
That wasn't the point! What did he just say?!
“Smiling Man! What did you say? What did the cadets do?”
“One of the Seven Evils. The one you call Massacre. These cadets handled him brilliantly. They almost had him, but I swooped in for the finishing blow! Hahaha!”
Smiling Man, still clapping, slowly stood up.
“Originally, I planned to turn myself in and hog all the attention. But now? That'd be awkward.”
“You don't say?”
“So, surrender's on hold. But don't worry! Next time, I'll have a different crime to confess to!”
“That means causing more incidents! If you're really not a villain, just stay put and do nothing!”
“Be reasonable! Hahaha!”
With that, he bowed elegantly.
And vanished from the heroes' sight in an instant.
Meanwhile.
“Couldn't even land a solid hit. Got our asses kicked good.”
The Maniac brushed himself off and sneered.
They'd been thoroughly thrashed. One Seven Evil hadn't even returned.
But that was it. No rage, no regrets.
This anger could be vented elsewhere later.
On weak heroes. Or ordinary people.
Thud thud—
Narcissus headed somewhere, sword still drawn.
Uncharacteristically rough steps. Murderous intent blazing.
Shing!—
His blade stopped at the Illusionist's throat.
“...Speak.”
“Whoa. Not just whining—you can do other stuff too? Hey, Illusionist. He's telling you to talk. Or he'll lop your head off.”
No one moved to stop him. Tattoos, maybe.
Sigh. The Illusionist grabbed Narcissus's blade.
“You told me to deploy the illusion. I did. That's it. And don't make assumptions. Think an illusion distinguishes friend from foe? If you wanted a mud pit, prepare to fight in it.”
“...More.”
“Whatever happened inside wasn't my fault. The illusion worked perfectly—how long it lasted depended on the opponents.”
“...”
Narcissus lowered his sword at the unflinching response.
Fair enough. Even Smiling Man had fallen to the illusion at first.
His reactions had been slow, flailing visibly.
Smiling Man wasn't invincible. At least, not to Narcissus.
“Who'll fill the empty spot next? Curious.”
No one mourned the dead comrade.
As if he'd never existed. Like an empty chair.
The villains chuckled and returned to their hideout.
“...”
The Illusionist lingered at the rear, following them.
“Now, time to give our pet dog his first command.”
“...What? Betray the Seven Evils? Oh, our pet dog's imagination is so vivid! Hahaha! Wrong! Why would I make you do that?”
“Do nothing. Just act normal. Be your usual Seven Evils self. Oh, but don't get too rowdy. Pets that bite passersby get put down!”
“Ah, I see. What happens if I bite? Seriously. Are you asking because you don't know? Or do you know and ask anyway?”
The man before him flashed a chillingly beautiful smile.
Before vanishing like a ghost, he left final words.
“Euthanasia. So... let's do well together. Got it?”
Yes, Master. Gulping, the Illusionist headed to the Seven Evils' hideout.
The next day.
Korea erupted in joy.
Not just the S-Ranks—other heroes had shone!
England raised a toast too.
One of those heroes was British!
France, meanwhile, fumed.
When England shone, France got stomachaches.
And Smiling Man?
“Hahaha!”
He just laughed.