Miss Me?
Miss Me?
Two terrorist attacks led by the Moonlight Priestess.
The city was destroyed so easily that it made the heroes' struggles look pathetic.
South Korea had never experienced anything like it. Citizens were stunned by the sheer overwhelming might.
And what made it worse was that nobody knew when the terror would end.
The Association scrambled to recruit other S-rank heroes from overseas, but even that effort was going nowhere.
Rumors had spread about the Moonlight Priestess's aberrant magic and how abilities weakened the moment someone entered her storm, frightening everyone.
As a result, South Korea was about to sit helplessly and take the beating. Without knowing the villain's name. Without knowing why she was doing this. Just like that. So easily.
By now, politicians were even suggesting that they abandon Seoul and move the capital to Busan.
While everyone suffered from anxiety, worry, frustration, helplessness, and despair—
the person who felt the most despair was
the hero duty-bound to stop that villain.
Stardus.
"......"
The Seoul Hero Association.
In an office thick with gloom, one woman sat in silence.
[...So, according to an anonymous tip, a terrorist attack is expected in that area today. Remain on standby.]
A week after the last attack.
Having received a tip that the Moonlight Priestess's third terrorist attack would happen that day, she was waiting at her desk.
To stop the attack that would probably occur before the day was over.
....
Right. Stop it.
"...Haha."
When her thoughts reached that point, Shin Ha-ru let out a hollow laugh before she could stop herself.
Could she stop it? This time?
".....Haah."
The fear that she couldn't protect the citizens from a terrorist.
The despair of having to watch the city be helplessly trampled by a single person.
It all came together, casting a shadow across her face.
Was there truly no hope?
As she continued facing the Moonlight Priestess's attacks, she had realized something.
She could never handle this alone.
Unless someone helped, Seoul would just keep being destroyed.
But.
Who—who would help her?
For a moment, her gaze drifted without thinking toward a fan cafe she'd bookmarked long ago.
She shook off the fantasy.
No. That could not happen.
The only option was to face it herself.
But could she really do it?
Please.
If only someone would help.
While she sat there, dazed and lost in thought—
sirens suddenly blared throughout the Association, and an emergency was declared in an instant.
[Pink storm forming in eastern Seoul! Third terrorist attack by the Moonlight Priestess! Stardus, deploy immediately!]
A desperate voice spilled from the speakers.
She heard it, rose quietly, opened the window, and threw herself outside.
The dark night sky. And far off, a deep-pink storm climbed all the way to the clouds.
She flew through the sky, the cold night wind cutting against her.
Shin Ha-ru's face stayed dark as she thought quietly.
Would today bring anything different?
She'd lose again. The villain would escape again. Seoul would be destroyed again. Citizens would get hurt again. Wouldn't it all just repeat?
Wouldn't today be the same as before?
Could anything change?
***
As always, a typhoon of moonlight raged.
But today was different.
"All right. Everyone ready?"
Somewhere on the outskirts of Seoul.
With the cold wind feeling especially sharp that day, I called out to the people below me.
"Yep! All set!"
"Ready for departure!"
Our bunny-helmet kids snapped crisp military-style salutes, letting me know they were ready to launch.
"Good. Everyone on the airship. Ha-yul, come on. Let's go."
"Yes...."
I nodded, satisfied, then turned toward Ha-yul.
Ha-yul looked different from usual, dressed in a pristine white robe.
It looked like something a mage or priest would wear in a fantasy game, and she kept tugging at the fabric as though the clothes felt awkward.
"...Big bro, do I really have to wear this?"
"Of course. It's your debut. The concept is mandatory. Mandatory."
"....Okay."
Still eyeing her outfit awkwardly, she took my hand, and I lifted us onto the airship.
Our Ha-yul. She had been with us since the early days, right after Seo-eun and Soo-bin, but we'd never introduced her to the public.
Of course, her ability was healing rather than combat, so there had never been much reason to bring her to a terrorist attack.
But this time, something had finally come up, so she was at last making her debut. We would officially announce her as a member of Ego Stream too.
...Somehow, it felt as though everyone except Seo-eun was registered as a member on the Ego Stream site, but I was probably imagining it.
While I was thinking that, I realized we were already aboard the airship.
As for Ha-yul's white robe, since we were not planning to reveal the details of her ability this time, I had simply dressed her in something that looked impressive. Mysterious, you know? That way, people could take one look and think, 'Oh, she must have some kind of power.'
In any case, that was not the important part.
What mattered now was that we were going to rescue our Stardus.
The airship began to lift into the sky.
It set a course straight for the distant pink whirlwind barely visible on the horizon.
Running in stealth mode, the airship shot through the sky in an instant.
"Egostic! We're almost there!"
[Hm. I sense something unusual.]
We arrived at the place where a colossal pink storm was devouring the city.
Once we were close enough, I silently watched the ravaged scene.
One of the dozens of terrorist attacks the Moonlight Church's Moon Priestess would unleash.
The attack that would ultimately destroy Seoul and turn the Original Work into a perfect grimdark story teetering on the edge of ruin.
The major event I had resolved to stop in this world no matter what.
And now that it had become reality,
I had decided not to intervene in the first two attacks and leave them entirely to Stardus.
Because I'd shattered every dark event that was supposed to happen in the Original Work and even pushed Stardus to grow far stronger than she had there,
the villains appearing at this point in the timeline had become little more than punching bags for her.
And since Stardus was the protagonist of this manhwa, growing in proportion to the adversity she faced,
instead of stepping in midway through the dozens of attacks that were supposed to happen in the Original Work,
I let Stardus face exactly two alone. Two. Just two.
....Honestly, I'd steeled myself, but watching Shin Ha-ru struggle alone was not easy. I could see her spirit breaking in real time.
But I believed it was a necessary process at least once, so I held back my tears and did not step in.
Until now.
And now came the third terrorist attack.
Finally. Finally, it was time to move.
The moment the third attack broke out, I brought the airship straight to the scene. Right, let's just grab the Moon Priestess and get out fast.
That was what I had been thinking when I arrived at the place where the pink storm was raging in real time.
And then I saw Shin Ha-ru blasted out of the typhoon.
"....Ah."
She was blasted out and struck the ground several times.
Then, with one knee on the ground, she staggered as she tried to stand.
And the exhausted expression on her face.
Even watching Shin Ha-ru struggle through a screen all this time had been enough to make me wipe away tears.
Now that I was seeing her suffer with my own eyes,
it hit me harder than expected.
Far too hard.
My chest tightened far, far too much.
"Big bro?"
"Ha-yul. Wait here."
And then—
before I knew it, my body had launched itself from the spot.
She looked so small against that vast storm.
Half-collapsed, staring blankly at the storm with an exhausted face, a face that looked like she'd lost everything.
Quietly, without her noticing, I flew right behind her.
For a moment, emotion welled up inside me.
Without realizing it, quietly,
I placed a hand on her head and stroked it.
"...You've done well."
***
"Nngh..."
It had already been hours since this began.
Inside the pink storm, swimming against the gale and facing dozens of magic circles alone, she swallowed her groans.
The enemy was still far too strong for her to handle alone.
She had already learned that from the previous two attacks, but still—
alone, she could never win.
Never.
"Haah... haah..."
But she had to do something.
She forced her way inside and struggled to break through the storm,
but deep down, she had already known.
Ah. As expected.
It was no use.
Not today.
And not next time.
"....Hhk!"
A magic circle suddenly appeared beside her, firing violet beams.
She barely managed to swing an arm and block them, but she could not stop the orb exploding at her side.
In the end, she was blasted away and sent flying through the air.
....Ah.
It was no use after all.
No matter how she thought about it, she could not win.
Not this time.
Not next time either.
"....Nngh."
The attack sent her flying all the way out of the storm.
She struck the ground several times before finally coming to a stop.
She barely forced herself up, one knee still on the ground.
With weary eyes, she stared at the storm still raging furiously.
She could not win.
She felt like she was going to die.
"....Haah, haah."
Normal people—in their moment of crisis, a hero appeared and saved them.
Then what about heroes?
When a hero was in danger, was there anyone who would save them?
She had wondered about it before, but—
of course there was not.
"......"
Just like that, filled with deep despair,
she stared blankly at the storm.
In the end, there was no one to help her.
That thing would simply keep destroying the city.
At this rate, slowly, everything would come to an end.
Resignation flickered across her eyes.
Maybe this was as far as she could go.
No unexpected turn could happen now.
As she stared blankly at the storm, thinking that—
then,
something warm suddenly settled on top of her head.
"....You've done well."
"....?"
Still dazed, still unable to understand what was happening, she slowly raised her head and saw—
"....Egostic?"
"Yes. It's me."
Half his face hidden behind a mask,
his touch was warm, and the worry he could not hide was laid bare toward her.
....It was him.
***
"....Why... why are you here?"
She was so exhausted
that Shin Ha-ru had to force out a voice that barely worked to speak to me.
I looked at her
and quietly answered, swallowing down whatever was surging up inside me.
"...My hero is in this state. As your arch-enemy, of course I'd to come."
"....Haha."
"Looks like you still have the strength to laugh, at least. Huh...."
She gave a tiny laugh, still looking exhausted.
Still swallowing down whatever was rising inside me,
I gave her a slight smile and spoke quietly.
"Up until now, truly—you've fought well."
"You did your best. More than anyone."
"So."
"I'll take it from here."
".....For my arch-enemy, the least I can do, don't you think?"
As I said that, I forced the corners of my mouth into a smile.
Then I lifted my hand from her head and stood before she could say anything.
I threw myself straight into the storm.
Right.
Now.
It was time to end this goddamn mess.
***
She'd thought it was all over.
So—
she had resigned herself and given up.
"...."
Without realizing it, she lifted a hand and touched the top of her head.
The spot where his hand had been just moments before still seemed to hold his warmth.
In the end—
at the moment everything seemed finished,
when there were no more dreams or hope,
the person who stepped forward for me was—
"....."
She quietly watched his back as he ran toward the storm.
His cape fluttered in the wind.
....Right.
So that was how it was.
...In the end, it was him.
Still sitting there,
she quietly watched his back.
Until he disappeared into the storm,
she kept
watching him without looking away.
And her heart—
Badump—
beat softly, without her even noticing.