Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Cataclysm
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“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!!”
On the way out of the Jin residence, Massacre spewed curses nonstop.
She muttered them so quickly it was like she had gone insane.
“Shut up. Just can it.”
“Then what the hell am I supposed to say? Huh?! We went in bragging we'd kill the Sword Saint, lost all our guys, and come back empty-handed with the excuse, 'Oh, the Smiling Man showed up and said he'd handle it, so we bounced.' At this point, you want me to play it off like the heroes and say it's all good?!”
Even with the Swindler's restraint, Massacre didn't stop.
She only got more pissed and started stomping her feet.
“It's already over. No point turning back now, right?”
“Hey, don't you have any subordinates left you could drag back into this?”
“Might be some if I look, but guys who'd charge into the Jin residence without a second thought? No clue.”
“And the Jin place is fucked right now anyway?”
“There's such a thing as reputation. Plus, the Sword Saint isn't dead.”
At that, Massacre yelled "Fuck!" again and hurled the dagger in her hand.
We're screwed. Heading back to base like this—what a field day the others will have mocking us.
They'd say we strutted in boasting about taking the Sword Saint's head, only to run away like cowards.
"At least it's not all bad? The Smiling Man stepped in, after all."
“What the hell are you talking about now?”
“Didn't Tattoos say he struggled against the Smiling Man too? Going after the Sword Saint with a guy like that at our backs doesn't make sense. If we say we backed off because of him, the others might rib us, but they won't call us pathetic.”
“...Ah. Fuck. That's exactly why it pisses me off more! It actually sounds believable!”
If it had been another S-Rank hero, they might've charged in ready to die.
But the Smiling Man wasn't a hero. Their affiliations differed, but he was a villain all the same.
From Massacre's position, it was confusing where the line was.
“Isn't it kinda weird if you think about it?”
As they headed toward where Narcissus was waiting.
Massacre continued chatting with the Swindler.
“Why the hell was a guy like that under the boss? He could've built his own outfit easy.”
“I'm more bugged by how he toyed with you and Tattoos.”
“Yeah. True. Hid his power from us, even against the Union. Fuck. Gives me chills now? Thought killing Holy Knight was a lucky assassination, but maybe not. Could've just straight-up murdered him head-on?”
Now he was catastrophe-class like them, but he hadn't been before.
They knew he was strong, but figured that was the extent of it.
No sane person could beat a true catastrophe-class madman.
But no. The Smiling Man might be even crazier than the Seven Evils.
“If it weren't for Tattoos and his damn tattoos, I might've at least half-jokingly asked the Smiling Man to join us against them.”
“From what he's done so far, he wouldn't bite. He's a villain, but not really. What villain saves heroes out of boredom?”
“You genius? You're spotting everything I missed.”
“Just the basics.”
True to villain form, the serious talk didn't last three minutes.
They started snickering, and Massacre tossed another question at the Swindler.
“What the hell does the Smiling Man even want?”
“Hates the Union for sure. He's been dropping heroes left and right.”
“But then he saves heroes. Cadets. Civilians? Isn't that weird?”
“Oh? Well, that's because I'm different from you all, isn't it?”
...Huh?
“Don't hit me with that corny 'Huh?' crap. Makes me wanna kill you even more! Ah, not that I wasn't planning to anyway! Haha!”
Smiling Man? How the fuck is that guy right next to us?
He was at the Jin residence. We confirmed he wasn't following.
We even checked for tails on the way!
“Hm. One more's coming up soon. Guess this is where we part ways.”
“What the...”
“Sorry. Massacre, your ability's straightforward with clear strengths, but clear weaknesses too. You guys use poison, fog—all that annoying shit. For those friends' sake, gotta ask you to bow out early.”
For villains, every moment of life was a joke, a prank, a taunt.
Always fighting, snarling they'd kill each other like beasts.
So for a split second, both Massacre and the Swindler felt cognitive dissonance.
We're villains too, right? We've killed heroes, so has he.
Why fight among villains? Cause we could kill each other.
We gotta kill more heroes, more people.
Can't miss out on the fun, so we hold back, yeah?
“...You crazy fuck?!”
But the Smiling Man they faced now was different.
That smile on his lips. Identical to the one from before.
But the moment they saw the killing intent beyond it.
Massacre desperately tried to shield the Swindler at least once.
“Don't do it, Massacre.”
“Gahk?!”
“Massacre, the others need to pick you up later. Kill you now, and your growth gets all messy!”
Even he was blocked seamlessly by the Mana Threads laid out in the interim.
Move any more here, and those creepy strands would burrow into flesh.
Then slice through muscle and bone, dismembering completely.
Just like he did to their minions back at the Jin residence!
“You mad bastard! What the fuck are you doing?! We're both villains, why...”
“Villains kill each other plenty. What's the problem? Good people don't kill good people, but bad ones fight and kill bad ones. Movies are full of it! Haha!”
So.
“No hard feelings.”
“W-Wait!”
“And the Seven Evils? They'll just fill your spot quick if you die, so no worries. Aren't they famous for replacing anyone in less than a day?”
The Swindler hurriedly gathered fog to fight back.
One-on-one wasn't his forte due to his ability.
But against Mana Threads, he could block once. That'd do it.
Massacre would help, and Narcissus was close...
Srash!-
“Always wondered—how tough are the Seven Evils' bodies really? For reference, Holy Knight, an S-Rank hero, got Mana Threads around his neck and only got strangled, not severed!”
“Gurk?!”
Most of the Mana Threads were holding Massacre back, right?
So how's this half-transparent strand supposed to counter my fog?
No matter how weak I am in direct fights, not even this?
“Guhk! Guh! W-Wait. Smiling Man...!”
“One reason you're dying today: I told you. You're annoying. Those friends have no resistance to poison or fog yet. If the world force-feeds them that sweet potato later, it'd frustrate me to death.”
“Guuuuh...”
“Oh. And don't get hopes up. I know you can restart a heart stopped by your poison.”
Terror swirled in the Swindler's eyes, clinging to that last shred of hope.
He knew that far? How? Even the other Seven Evils didn't!
Only he did. The world's sole keeper of that secret!
“Guuuuuh...”
“It's a secret, actually! Haha!”
Madman. No ordinary one. Madness incarnate.
A villain who killed heroes now saves people. One who did villainy now kills villains.
“Got this line from a fun movie: Should've aimed for the head. Should've cut the neck. Yep. Gotta finish clean. Right?”
“Fuuuuck! Smiling Man! Stop! What the fuck are you...”
That was it. Massacre couldn't continue.
His head snapped off his body like Lego.
The Mana Threads holding them tossed it away like trash.
“Massacre, clean that neck and wait nicely.”
“...”
“Not right now, but later. The others are coming for you.”
Ah. Might be me in between! Haha!
With that, the Smiling Man vanished into the distance.
The Mana Threads trailed after like snapped spider silk.
“...Fuck...”
Sensing Narcissus rushing from afar.
Massacre clutched his head, staring at what used to be a fellow Seven Evil.
What the fuck... what the fuck is going on...!
The peaceful weekend drowned in horror in an instant.
Villains popped up across Korea, unleashing every kind of terror.
They attacked heroes and civilians alike without mercy.
They even broke the unwritten rules.
Don't touch heroes fighting monsters.
They're handling those beasts for us, so we'll let it slide.
They crossed that line completely.
The Union pounced like they wouldn't miss the moment.
Korea—the country with the world's top hero influence.
If they could bend it to their will, the rest would follow smoothly.
But the world didn't roll over so easily.
The very same day, the Union high-rank's son's misdeeds had already spread worldwide.
No way they'd let it get buried under villain terror news.
With people, reporters, and streamers refusing to drop the bombshell.
The world truly began to convulse.