Climax
Climax
A show must be meticulously planned.
And so the attack I carried out this time had been, from the very beginning, a grand show in which every last detail was orchestrated.
I had only one goal after landing in this world.
My favorite character, Stardus, who in the original work was slandered and persecuted.
To make sure she faced as little needless suffering as possible.
That was why, from the very beginning, my attack had been planned to end in failure at Stardus's hands.
In fact, the detonators were also fakes. As if I'd really kill people. If I did, Stardus would be sad. The whole point of raising her up to stop future disasters and save people was exactly that. What good would it do if I killed people?
Anyway, at the end of all my efforts, the show was finally heading toward its climax.
The passengers on the three boats, all alive because no one had pressed the button and they had trusted one another, and the villain, flustered by the unexpected outcome.
...Actually, if someone in there had pressed a button, I would have had to go to Plan B. So I was relieved that no one did. As I'd expected, Stardus had a way with words that moved people's hearts. Granted, I'd written this into the plan knowing she was good at speeches, since something similar appeared later in the Original Work.
Anyway, it was time to focus on the performance again.
Putting on a flustered expression, I began to speak again.
"...This can't be. This is impossible!"
The rooftop, where a cold wind blew.
Standing atop it and staring at Stardus, I shouted at her with a hollow laugh, my hands trembling.
"Humans—human beings aren't this altruistic! I was certain at least one person would press the button, so why...?"
As I said that,
I paused for a moment as if I'd just realized something, then looked at her and muttered.
"...Ah."
"It was all because of you."
Having said that, I began subtly praising her, like one of those third-rate villains who seem to insult the protagonist but, if you listen closely, are really complimenting her.
"Everyone suddenly united after hearing your speech... Ha. Ha ha ha ha!"
Before continuing, I laughed like a madman.
...It was pretty embarrassing to be doing this stone-cold sober in front of a camera, but I somehow kept going with method acting.
Glancing over, I saw Stardus staring at me like I was insane... haa. Do you know what it feels like to have your favorite character look at you with a look of contempt? It hurt.
Thankfully, she still hadn't charged at me because I was holding the detonator. She couldn't drop her guard until every last passenger was off the boats.
"Yes. It seems I may have underestimated you. I never imagined a simple speech could enlighten so many people all at once... Ha ha. Stardus, I have to say, the more I look at you, the more interesting a person you become."
...After I'd said that, I realized it was about time to go.
Yeah. I'd raised my profile, hyped up Stardus, and brought the attack to a successful end.
All that remained was to escape. A villain had to make a getaway at the last moment. Naturally.
So I threw her a typical villain's parting line.
"Things won't be this easy next time. Until we meet again, everyone!"
"You...!"
I flashed Stardus and the camera a grin as she dashed toward me, having realized I was escaping.
I wrapped my cape around myself and prepared to teleport away with the equipment I'd brought. The area would be crawling with police by now, so I needed to go straight home.
...Ah. Come to think of it, covering this distance with teleportation meant I'd be bedridden for about three days. That was bad.
Haa. Life's not easy.
With that thought,
My body simply vanished from that spot.
At the same time, the broadcast cut off as well.
And that was what finally signaled the end of the attack that had turned South Korea upside down that day.
***
[Daytime Terror Attack Grips the Korean Peninsula; No Casualties Reported]
[Who Is the A-Rank Villain "Egostic"? An In-Depth Investigation.]
[[Breaking] Hero Association Issues Statement: 'Villain's Abilities Believed to Be Telekinesis and Teleportation.']
[Broadcast Hijacking in Times Like These... Is South Korean Broadcast Security Adequate as Is?]
[Who Is Stardus, the Hero Singled Out by the Villain Whose Broadcast Hijacking Gripped the Nation? A Look at Her Achievements]
[[Exclusive] Interview with a Citizen Aboard a Boat at the Attack Site: 'We Survived Because We Believed in Each Other.' Tears...]
The day Egostic's attack took place, articles sprouted up all across the country like mushrooms after rain.
An extraordinary incident had erupted in the middle of ordinary life.
Unlike attacks confined to a specific place or target, this one had been broadcast live to the entire nation.
In short, it drew enormous attention.
Within a single day, everyone in the country knew about the incident, and both Egostic, the villain who orchestrated it, and Stardus, the hero who opposed him, were thrust into the spotlight.
The incident was large enough to draw attention not only in Korea but from foreign media as well.
The Korean Hero Association praised the outcome, stating 'The terrorist attack was concluded with zero casualties thanks to the efforts of A-rank hero Stardus,' and the press releases all went out the same way.
The full video of the attack shot to the top of YouTube's real-time rankings, turning the incident into a nationwide sensation.
All over the place, people were already churning out posts cataloging and analyzing the villain Egostic.
And naturally, among those doing the analysis was the Korean Association of Superpowered Individuals.
***
"Then let's begin the briefing."
The Korean Hero Association.
A meeting was underway on the top floor.
"Yes. The newly emerged villain calls himself Egostic. He is male, presumed Korean, and appears to be in his early to mid-twenties."
A man at the front of the meeting room was presenting a summary of the incident.
"His identity and residence are currently unknown. However, because every incident and crime he has committed has been concentrated in Seoul, it is highly likely that he lives there. As for his appearance... please refer to the information packet in front of you."
The materials distributed to the attendees contained front and side photographs of him.
He was dressed entirely in black from head to toe.
He wore a black robe resembling a long coat and a black cape.
A mask covered half his face. A footnote below the photograph stated that the mask was believed to have a Perception Inhibition function, since his features remained difficult to identify despite only half his face being concealed.
"He has personally killed two people so far: one A-rank villain and one S-rank villain. Both appear to have been killed with telekinesis and a gun. The absence of other injuries suggests they were caught by surprise, and the telekinesis itself is judged to be weak based on what he has revealed so far."
After covering Egostic's basic profile, the presenter paused for a drink before moving on to the main topic.
"Yes. While those two villains are the only ones Egostic has directly killed so far... judging by the large-scale attack that occurred today, it appears he is willing to massacre ordinary civilians as well."
When the briefer had said that much, a heavy silence fell over the room. The reason they had all gathered here was, after all, yesterday's incident.
"Now, I will explain yesterday's incident, commonly called the 'Han River Cruise Ship Bombing Attempt.' The bombs appear to have been planted in advance, and analysis after they were disarmed confirmed that they were high-performance explosives powerful enough to destroy half a ship. We have not yet determined where he obtained them."
"Were there no clues from the broadcast hijacking?"
"...No. How he bypassed the latest security systems to hijack the broadcast and transmit his feed remains unknown. No logs remain, and the camera was taken away by the villain, making verification impossible."
The presenter added a caveat and continued.
"Some have suggested that he may also possess an ability related to radio waves. However, no superpowered individual with an information- or communications-related ability has ever been confirmed, and no known superpowered individual has three abilities at once, so this remains speculation. He may have an accomplice."
"An accomplice, you say..."
"Yes. What we're certain of is that Egostic possesses the capability to freely seize the broadcast signals of the three major networks. Moreover, given that the signal itself wasn't blocked by us but rather ended because Egostic stopped the broadcast after the incident concluded..."
"All right. That's enough. I understand the situation."
The Association President, who had been listening quietly, cut off the briefer's words.
The briefer dipped his head and returned to his seat.
Then only the Association President's voice carried across the long table.
"To summarize, this villain is methodical and possesses an immense amount of information. He knows the whereabouts and identities of A and S-rank villains, and can hack into the signals of broadcast stations at will. Is there anything more?"
"...If I could add one more point, yes."
The man who had given the briefing earlier, now back in his seat, spoke up.
"Furthermore... for now, he appears to keep his word. He did let everyone go when no one aboard the boats pressed a button. Most importantly, he appears to be obsessed with Stardus."
When he finished, all eyes in the room turned toward someone sitting at the far end of the table.
Their attention settled on Stardus—Shin Ha-ru—seated at the far end of the table.
With the room's attention on her, Stardus spoke calmly.
"Yes, that's correct. For whatever reason, the perpetrator left messages aimed at me even at the scene of a villain murder, and in this incident as well, he deliberately singled me out and called on me."
"Do you have any idea why, Stardus?"
At the Association President's question, Ha-ru simply answered calmly.
"I don't know, either."
"Hmm... That's strange indeed."
After hearing her answer, the president nodded and moved on to other topics. Some argued that Egostic should be raised to S-rank and placed at the top of the most-wanted list. Others countered that, while he had attempted to kill civilians, he had not actually killed anyone, and the full extent of his telekinesis was still unknown, so an S-rank designation would be premature. Arguments like these filled the room.
Thus, inside the Hero Association's meeting room, a heated discussion raged on through the night.
***
At that same time.
A few kilometers from the attack scene was a small studio apartment.
"Ugh... Fuck, I feel like I'm dying."
There I was, lying in bed and groaning.
Living as a villain was no easy thing...