11. Nocturne vs. Spark
11. Nocturne vs. Spark
After interrogating the suspicious suit maker, Nocturne fired her grappling hook toward the building wall, then used the recoil to soar over the night sky.
If this were downtown with its dense forest of buildings, she could have flown around by hooking onto the outer walls, but here in Uptown, the buildings were generally low.
She had no choice but to run across the rooftops.
'Should call it a night and head in. Cheshire escaped, too... The moment she got caught in my trap and saw Mama Butcherer, she didn't hesitate to run. Too smart for her own good...'
At that moment, lightning flashed.
Pajijik! Kwaaang!
"Urgh!"
Tearing through the pitch-black darkness, a blue static spark struck Nocturne's side viciously.
It was a surprise attack from a blind spot she hadn't expected at all.
Having lost her balance in mid-air, Nocturne landed roughly on the railing of a nearby rooftop and rolled her body.
Before she could even lift her head, someone unleashed a fierce punch, drawing a blue trajectory once again.
"Nocturne, get out of this area!"
It was Spark.
She had happened to witness Nocturne grabbing the laundry shop owner by the collar and hoisting him into the air in the alleyway, and having lost her reason, she had chased after her.
Spark, who had seen Nocturne trying to harm the person she trusted and liked the most, was enraged. Combined with the bad feelings she already held toward Nocturne, she had attacked her on the spot.
"......Spark."
Nocturne muttered the hero's name in a voice mixed with cold mechanical sounds, twisting her body.
Just as she thought she had lightly dodged the punch, a powerful electric current that had spread into the air flowed thrillingly across the surface of Nocturne's high-tech suit.
"Ugh!"
The sensation of her muscles momentarily paralyzing slowed Nocturne's movements.
Spark did not miss that brief opening.
Using her momentum, she unleashed a series of kicks with acrobatic movements.
Nocturne showed a momentary look of bewilderment at the physical ability that exceeded her expectations, and the paralyzing current that erupted every time a blow landed.
"Not bad for a brat. But do you think this is enough to take me down?"
But that was as far as it went.
Nocturne's combat sense and experience, gained from going through hell and high water against national-level villains, were not at a level that a mere Street Hero who had started operating in the back alleys three months ago could challenge.
"Don't mess with me, kid."
Nocturne forced her paralyzed arm to swing out and grabbed the collar of the incoming Spark.
With their bodies entangled, they crashed down onto the roof of an adjacent building.
Spark tried to twist her body to escape, but Nocturne began pouring out ruthless blows at a speed that was barely visible.
Puck! Kwadeuk! Puck!
"Aargh! Ugh, keuheuk!"
Painful groans spread across the rooftop.
Nocturne beat Spark so cruelly that the title of "hero" felt meaningless.
Her fist, encased in a hard alloy glove, struck Spark's face and abdomen without mercy.
Thanks to the sturdy suit that the laundry shop owner had painstakingly made, she was spared from having her bones completely shattered, but it couldn't block the terrible shock that rattled her brain.
As the fierce fight continued, the two crossed over rooftops and outdoor units, and the aftermath of the fight was gradually approaching the narrow alleyway where the laundry shop was located.
Eventually, the mask covering Spark's face was torn to shreds.
Bright drops of blood stained the cold concrete floor.
Nocturne grabbed Spark's hair, which was covered in blood, and lifted her into the air.
"Don't ever cross me again. I can let a brat like you slide once, but the second time, I won't hold back."
"......Ha, haa...... How are you...... any different from a villain......."
Spark howled, spitting out blood-mixed saliva.
In her eyes, glaring at Nocturne with swollen eyes, there was a resentment deeper than fear.
"Do you know how terrified the neighborhood people are since you started appearing in this area again? Every night, everyone locks their doors and holds their breath! They're all afraid, looking at the terrible cripples you leave behind!"
"This area was my territory long before you, kid. I was just busy for a while, so I couldn't come often."
"That's bullshit! If you abandoned it once, that's the end of it! Do you know how much the people in this neighborhood suffered while you were gone!?"
"It was to stop a greater threat. I was busy doing the work of protecting the Earth."
"...Yeah, sure, let's say that! That aside, why won't you answer my question? How can you call yourself a hero while doing such terrible things?"
"I deliver justice. Instilling fear in criminals is my justice. I don't actually kill anyone, so I haven't crossed the line yet. You aim for non-lethal just like me, so you should know well, right?"
"That's not a 'no-kill' policy! Leaving people disabled for life and burning their faces off!"
Spark shouted with an unbroken voice, even while gasping for breath.
"I'd rather you just finish them off cleanly like Mama Butcherer, but you're just a source of living terror in this neighborhood! People like you...... I wish you'd just get out of here!"
At Spark's desperate rebuke, Nocturne was momentarily speechless.
The eyes behind the goggles shook with distress.
"......"
Unable to find a word to refute, Nocturne remained silent for a moment before throwing Spark's body over the railing.
She did it knowing full well that Spark wouldn't even be hurt by this much, even though she had beaten her up on purpose, as it would only end in a few bruises on her face.
"...Get lost, brat."
Spark's body plummeted into the endless darkness below the rooftop.
Nocturne couldn't bring herself to look down, and vanished into the darkness on the other side.
'Ha, I really thought today was the day I'd die.'
I was walking down the alleyway, barely steadying my trembling legs.
The terrible silhouette of Nocturne, who had grabbed me by the collar and hoisted me into the air in the darkness, was still flickering before my eyes.
Not only did I have to make clothes for the national-level villain Cheshire, but now I had to tailor the uniform for Nocturne, who was bent on catching that lunatic?
My life wouldn't be worth a damn at this rate.
It was just as I turned the corner, grumbling on my way home.
Kwadang!
"Ugh! What the, fuck!"
Suddenly, a large mass fell from the sky at a furious speed and crashed onto the pile of old trash right in front of me.
In the thick cloud of dust that rose, I could see a figure writhing in pain, groaning.
It was Spark.
"Sp, Spark?! Are you okay?"
I was startled and ran over to help her up.
Her condition as she collapsed was nothing short of miserable.
The tactical suit I had made for her was a mess with dirt and dust, and above all, more than half of the mask that had been covering her face was completely torn off.
Her exposed face was a bloody mess and swollen, but I could recognize those features at a glance.
'I don't think I've ever seen her in person outside of the comic book, but...'
In this neighborhood where I run the laundry shop, she was the smart college student who always carried thick textbooks in her arms.
She was that very girl who was called the neighborhood's pride, having entered the most prestigious university in the area as the top student.
"Sophia Rodriguez?"
At my voice, her body, which I was supporting, stiffened.
Sophia, who had barely opened her swollen eyes, tried to gasp and step back as soon as she made eye contact with me.
She hurriedly tried to cover her torn mask and face with her bloodied hands.
"Do, don't look! It's not me! I'm not Sophia...... Augh!"
She groaned as if the sudden movement had caused pain in her ribs.
The fact that the identity of the super she had been so desperate to hide had been discovered, and by the laundry shop guy from the neighborhood at that, seemed to have driven her into extreme fear.
I let out a deep sigh as I looked at Sophia's miserable state.
"Forget it. I've already seen it all, so there's no need to hide. Don't push yourself."
I took off the outer jacket I was wearing and covered it over the trembling Sophia's head.
The large jacket covered her bloodied face and torn mask.
"Your face is all busted up. If you were fighting a villain, let's run quickly."
"......Huk, I, I wasn't fighting a villain..."
"Then that's a relief. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?"
At my calm comfort, Sophia's shoulders, covered by the jacket, trembled slightly.
I quickly scanned the surroundings and wrapped my arms firmly around her shoulders.
"Let's go to my place for now. If we stay like this on the street, the local gangs or the police will find us first. You don't even have the strength to run away on your own right now."
My place was less than a 5-minute walk from here.
As I tried to help her up, Sophia clutched the hem of my jacket tightly, hesitating, and muttered in a small, muffled voice.
"......I don't want to. Even so, I'm scared to go to a, a man's house......."
I let out a dry laugh, dumbfounded that she could say such a thing in this situation.
I put strength into the hand supporting her and retorted nonchalantly.
"Hey. You're a super who shoots lightning from your hands and flies around rooftops, and I'm just a regular neighborhood laundry shop owner, okay? Logically, who should be scared of who? You could break my spine in two if you really wanted to."
At my words, Sophia remained blankly silent for a moment.
The sniffling from inside my jacket, which was covering her head, stopped, and soon a small, mumbling voice came out.
"......Now that you mention it, you're right."
"Exactly. So stop talking nonsense and follow me."
Sophia, clutching my jacket tightly with both hands, leaned her body against my support with staggering steps.
"......I'll trouble you for a bit. Oppa at the laundry shop."