Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Emergency Soar
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Everyone in South Korea knows about the Ulleungdo battle from the past.
It was that famous, and that widely known of an incident.
But since it was in the past, very few people saw it with their own eyes.
Not everyone had smartphones back then like they do now.
People just nodded along while hearing the before-and-after details from the news.
That was it—imagining the scene from reenactment videos or AI recreations.
"Hey, who's that?"
But things are different now. Everyone gets information in 'real time.'
From the moment monsters climbed onto Ulleungdo. From the moment heroes began fighting.
Through the time when flames and smoke rose everywhere and screams echoed.
Right now. Up to the moment the Black Woman appeared and started slaughtering the monsters.
"Is that a hero?"
"Doesn't look like it? We've all seen every A-Rank hero at least once, but this woman's completely new!"
"Dude, stop talking and just film it. Film!"
As soon as they escaped the monster threat, a few people whipped out their phones.
They captured the Black Woman standing solitarily before the Monument of Victory.
More monsters appeared from the sea, trying to crawl onto land again.
The Black Woman, staring them down, casually flicked her hand as if annoyed.
The monsters' bodies compressed instantly. Their forms vanished completely.
"What the—?! Telekinesis Ability?!"
"There's a hero like that? Who the hell is she?!"
First came the relief of survival. Then intense curiosity.
A massive hunch hit them. The scent of something about to 'moon' big time.
In this crisis, everyone whipped out their phones without hesitation.
Some tipped off news outlets. Others posted to SNS. Some even went live.
Footage of the Black Woman handling monsters in front of the heroes' victory monument.
It spread across South Korea in less than an hour.
"Yo, you see that video that just dropped?"
"That's AI deepfake, right? Ulleungdo's a total mess right now. Heard they declared an ultra-emergency 'cause there aren't even many heroes there. If there was a hero like that, they wouldn't be panicking."
"Idiot, it's real! It's even on live broadcasts right now, looks like a legit hero!"
"Nah, that's just everyone getting duped and posting the same clip!"
Citizens' reactions to the video were pretty varied.
Some didn't buy it. Others tilted their heads in doubt.
Still others cheered in excitement, yelling about what a bombshell this was—who is she?!
She appeared in the moment of crisis, took down monsters, saved people.
Hero. A new face, but definitely a hero!
"Why's everyone making such a fuss? Don't you know it's an emergency?"
"Check this out real quick. Ulleungdo situation— this hero took out the monsters in one shot."
"Hero? You call that a hero?"
But to the real heroes, the story was entirely different.
"She's not a hero, right? How else could she have that kind of power if not?"
"...Wait. Hold on."
A-Rank heroes gathered to defend the East Coast or head to Ulleungdo.
A few let out sighs.
And for good reason—the face caught in that video.
Considering the hair color, build, and overall vibe.
"Hey. That woman in the video... doesn't seem like a hero..."
"What're you on about all of a sudden."
"No, hear me out. Not 100%, but high chance. That lady... she's the Clan Boss..."
"Huh?"
At first, they dismissed it as nonsense.
What was the Clan? A demon den crawling with villains.
Their boss would be especially vicious among villains.
She hadn't been active much, but a villain leader was no ordinary foe.
Just look at the Seven Evils or the Smiling Man—total monsters!
"Why would a villain like that save people?! And Ulleungdo of all places! Heroes' holy ground! Villains should be too busy plotting terror to pull something like this!"
"I'm not saying I know! But it really looks like the Clan Boss! I saw her in some intel docs—black hair, those chilling eyes. And that inexplicable telekinesis! No hero in Korea has that! Only if she's the Clan Boss...!"
The heroes who realized the Black Woman's identity were stunned.
Some foresaw the future and tried to keep it hush.
But this was no small matter. Ulleungdo under attack.
And the one saving it was a villain!
Chatty heroes immediately started blabbing everywhere.
The news hit reporters and video sharers fast.
News travels like wildfire. Juicy stories circle the globe.
Embellished and spread nationwide in hours.
Kindling piled up, rice cakes scattered wildly.
The government, national broadcaster, and Union scrambled to douse the flames.
"These stupid pigs! Now they're comparing villains to heroes?! Those lunatics might just be having a brief sane moment!"
"What are you doing?! Spread hero videos everywhere now! Screw regulations and reviews—just flood 'em! Make sure no one even thinks to compare villains to heroes!!"
The Union side bellowed, desperately trying to contain the situation.
Their villain demonization campaign was crumbling in seconds.
They had to cling to public perception at all costs.
If it shook, Union could never hold the top spot.
They had to wield monsters and villains like weapons to rule!
"How's the reaction?! Online vibe?!"
"I-it's... not good. The video's already spread too far on SNS!"
But this time, even Union's strategies fell flat.
Everything they prepared got swallowed whole.
Heroes' holy site. Place honoring glorious victory.
The savior in its hour of peril: a villain.
No one could resist that explosive headline combo.
Positive or negative for Union? Didn't matter.
The Ulleungdo incident had become the eye of the storm, devouring all.
And to top it off, they had one more heartbreaking issue.
"B-Branch Chief! New video's up! B-but... this is even worse!!"
The video the staff played showed a man standing there.
Far off. Facing the tsunami bearing down to swallow Ulleungdo.
Kwajijijik!!-
Lightning crackled everywhere, spewing light and heat.
Each flash brought something into existence, then vanishing.
The monster tried snatching the light bursts but failed every time.
However, the situation wasn't entirely favorable to the 'flashes.'
Using her Ability drained her stamina instead.
The monster took wounds but wouldn't die easily.
"Tch."
Valkyrie, lightning cloaking her body, bit her lip.
As expected of an Apocalypse-Class monster. Incredibly tough.
Mature ones were on another level entirely.
'If I pour everything here, it's possible. But...'
Before coming to Ulleungdo, she'd heard there were two Apocalypse-Class monsters.
No way for her to know where the other was.
Best case, territorial spat kept it far away.
But it could return.
Worst case: facing both alone.
Then only one option. Mutual destruction.
Even an S-Rank hero like her couldn't handle two mature Apocalypse-Class alone.
But fleeing wasn't an option, so better to take both down with her.
Kroooar!!-
Ten minutes into the restarted battle.
Valkyrie bit her lip at the monster's ominous roar.
It had sensed it. And so had she.
'So. You came after all.'
Another Apocalypse-Class had arrived nearby.
She'd hoped it'd buzz off elsewhere.
Guess it came back for scraps!
'No other choice, huh.'
Like all heroes, she'd anticipated it.
The day she'd die fighting a monster would come.
Today, tomorrow—who knew.
Whenever it came, face it head-on.
Hero-like. Like the heroes they called.
Sring!-
She raised her spear again.
Dozens of lightning bolts struck down, turning to light and heat.
No more minimizing damage.
Arm torn off, leg severed—whatever.
Kill the one in front, then the other.
Even if her heart pierced, guts burned away.
As long as she protected people, that was enough.
"...Huh?"
She sensed another anomaly right after.
Normally, she'd grit her teeth in dread.
Another monster besides the monsters.
But Valkyrie knew this sharp, somewhat welcoming aura's owner.
"Hahaha!"
She unwittingly laughed along with its owner.
Then aimed her spear at the monster, shelving mutual destruction.
Honestly, not sure if he's on our side yet.
But at least, not on those monsters' side.
Kya aaa!-
The massive bird-like monster roared.
As if demanding who dared block its path.
Its cry plunged all life into terror.
Even heroes' muscles froze, reason paralyzed.
"Good lord. A two-headed bird."
But sometimes, this world had monsters beyond monsters.
"For the record, between chicken parts, I prefer legs over neck!"
Weaving threads across the sky into a giant birdcage.
The Smiling Man made his appearance in the seas before Ulleungdo.