Real Steel
Real Steel
The Korean Association of Superpowered Individuals—the Hero Association, for short.
The operations control room at the Seoul Hero Association currently felt like a funeral hall.
"Right. So where is that thing those insane Han-eun Group bastards built?"
"It's currently attacking structures in an abandoned factory district on the outskirts of the capital region. Everyone there has evacuated, so there have been no casualties yet, but..."
"...How far has the civilian evacuation in the city progressed?"
"Most people on the outskirts have made it out, but the weapon is advancing so quickly that it'll soon catch up. B-rank and lower heroes have helped the remaining civilians, so there are still no casualties, but... I don't know how long that will last."
"...Haah. Right. What about Stardus? Where is she?"
"She's reportedly flying there at full speed, but given the distance from here, it'll take her some time."
"...Understood."
The Association president stared at the monitor with a troubled expression.
A massive robot, looking something like an octopus, was smashing its way through the outskirts as it advanced.
Nothing seemed capable of stopping it.
...No. There was one thing.
"...Is 'that' thing still not ready?"
"...They say they're still setting it up, sir. But if we fire it, the nearby cities and their residents could all be caught in the blast."
"The decision belongs to the President, not me, so telling me is pointless. Don’t forget that the missile is under the government’s authority."
"...Understood."
"...Still, we may have to accept a certain amount of sacrifice to prevent even greater damage."
"....."
"...If only Stardus could bring it down. That would be ideal, but... what do you estimate her chances are?"
"At full power, she might be able to hold her own. But in the middle of the city, she would have to limit her strength to keep everyone else from being caught in the fight... It will be difficult."
"Damn it. I figured as much. Any word from Icicle?"
"We've lost contact with her. She's likely in a situation where she can't answer, or she's deliberately ignoring us."
"Damn it. That chairman bastard obviously hid her away because it was dangerous. Useless."
The Association president spoke with a conflicted expression.
The giant weapon had now almost reached the heart of the city, where the crowds were gathered.
Even as they watched it about to attack the civilians, no one in the Association could do anything.
They just sat there helplessly, stricken with deep despair.
And just like that, all hope vanished.
The massacre was about to begin.
Suddenly, it ground to a halt.
It let out a single scream and stopped.
"....?"
Everyone in the Association was still reeling from the sudden development when
a voice abruptly emerged from the giant weapon a short while later.
Unlike the voice before, it was impossibly bright and cheerful.
[Hello, everyone! Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Egostic!]
"Egostic...?"
The Association staff collectively froze as their minds buffered.
Why the hell was he in there?
As they struggled to understand the sudden turn, he continued.
As though stealing it had been the most natural and obvious thing in the world,
his voice flowed from the giant weapon.
[The Han-eun Group folks built something pretty cool, didn’t they? Anyway... So I stole it.]
[This is mine now.]
"Wow."
A single, quiet exclamation from an unknown speaker filled the silent Association.
***
The shadow blanketing thousands of people in the city streets was a spectacular sight.
It was cast by a weapon of such overwhelming size that its appearance alone inspired dread.
And that symbol of terror—which only moments earlier had been waving a building around while rambling about the end of the world—
was now stretching, rotating its arms and moving its legs.
[This is actually kind of fun! Hahahahahaha!]
Egostic’s cheerful voice blasted from the weapon at an incredible volume.
Apparently accustomed to the controls now, he maneuvered the weapon freely.
The people merely stared blankly at the giant weapon looming over them.
As if only then noticing their gazes, Egostic lowered the machine’s head slightly and addressed them.
[Hey, everyone. What are you still doing there?]
[I don’t need spectators, so would you mind leaving? Shoo, shoo.]
He waved them away like gnats, telling the civilians to leave—or, more precisely, to run along without making a fuss—as if he had no interest in them.
Only then did the people come to their senses, rise one by one, and hurry away from the weapon.
As it watched them flee, a voice began flowing from the machine again.
[Anyway.]
[I finally got my hands on a cool robot, and just sitting still in it is getting boring.]
He continued in an exaggerated tone, clearly joking.
[I’m so bored, I’m starting to feel like destroying the city! Aaah! Riding a giant weapon is giving me destructive impulses!]
[So.]
He paused there.
As if he had finally reached the main point,
he spoke with a hint of laughter in his voice.
Then he said:
[Stardus. Would you mind coming over here?]
It had been a long time since he'd called for Stardus.
And.
Ha.
And at those words—
Stardus, who had just reached a nearby rooftop and heard him, found herself smiling.
***
Shin Ha-ru.
She had never imagined something like this would happen so suddenly.
A massive weapon had abruptly appeared on one side of Seoul.
Watching it collapse buildings with a gesture or a step, she gritted her teeth and flew.
Why did disasters like this always strike so suddenly?
Stardus flew at full speed to defeat the unexpected weapon, squeezing every last bit from her ability.
What if I’m too late?
That single thought repeated in her mind.
How long did she fly like that?
Then, when she was almost there—truly almost there, with only a little distance left—
a voice came through the earpiece she had inserted to follow the news.
[Breaking news! The giant weapon has reached the edge of the city center! It's ripped out a building and is preparing to throw it at the civilians! Ah, how could this happen...? We'll connect to the scene...]
When the anchor’s trembling report ended, a low mechanical voice reached her through the earpiece. No—it was a chilling mechanical voice carrying directly to her from the distance as she flew.
[Goodbye.]
[Blame the useless Association.]
[Go to hell, humans.]
Hearing that, she gritted her teeth.
Was it really going to end like this?
Was she too late?
As she continued toward the scene with despair weighing on her,
Suddenly.
something changed.
[Aaaaargh!]
A scream suddenly burst from the robot.
[Wait—everyone, the giant weapon has suddenly stopped and started screaming! What is happening?!]
The anchor reported the sudden development in confusion.
A moment later, a voice far brighter than the one before suddenly sounded.
And it was—
[Hello, everyone! Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Egostic!]
her nemesis. Her archenemy.
[What is happening?! Egostic has suddenly emerged from the weapon!]
...Egostic?
It was Egostic.
***
Now nearly at the scene, she turned off her earpiece.
She had seized the moment when the giant weapon stopped and pushed beyond her limits to reach it.
When she finally landed on a rooftop overlooking the giant weapon, what she saw was
Egostic dismissing the people who had been on the verge of death as though they were a nuisance—in other words, simply letting them escape.
[Stardus. Would you mind coming over here?]
His laughing voice called to her from the giant weapon.
And at the sight of it,
Ha-ha....
she felt the corners of her mouth rise and a laugh escape before she knew it.
On the rooftop,
with the wind tossing her blonde hair,
she stood and looked at the weapon Egostic was presumably piloting—the same weapon that had been trying to slaughter everyone only moments before.
She remembered.
Right. She had experienced something like this once before.
A memory of someone appearing in a difficult situation like this and taking care of everything.
On a rooftop like the last one, a voice much like this had rung out.
‘Hello, everyone! I’m Egostic!’
Right.
When an alligator thug burst into the festival and staged an attack,
when the crowd was on the verge of death and she was about to intervene even at the risk of exposing her identity,
one person had offered a bizarre excuse, stepped in for her, and solved the problem.
...And now, here.
In a desperate situation where thousands—perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands—were about to die,
he had appeared from nowhere and resolved everything.
She watched him naturally rescue the people and send them away as though it were merely an inconvenience.
Stardus—Shin Ha-ru—
realized something before she knew it.
Hah.....
Her heart had already begun pounding the moment she heard the name Egostic.
Then, after bringing the entire situation under control, he nonchalantly saved the people as if it had not been intentional and called for her as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Before she knew it, a laugh had escaped her.
Right...
Relief washed over her entire body.
Smiling, she murmured toward Egostic.
"Since you called for me,"
"I should go."
Without any hesitation, she kicked off the rooftop and flew toward him.
Even as she flew,
the corners of her mouth remained slightly raised.
***
"Big bro. Stardus is finally coming this way!"
"Really? Then let’s move farther back. Everyone around here will die if we fight here."
"So we’re finally going to throw down? This’ll be fun."
"Dain, please be careful with the controls. It’ll be a disaster if you fall over."
"That’s right, big bro."
"Okay, okay."
The cockpit in the head of the giant weapon.
My companions had insisted on coming when I said I'd tussle with Stardus for a bit and then return. I operated the giant weapon in front of them.
Look at this solid steel frame moving exactly as I directed. Now this was a man’s dream. It felt incredible—as if I could literally do anything.
When I saw Stardus approaching, I grinned before I knew it.
Ha-ru. Let’s give you a proper power-up today.
Opportunities to fight a giant weapon one-on-one without any outside interference did not come often.
Let’s push your ability hard and make it about twice as strong before we go home.
Smiling, I flexed my hands and began working the controls in earnest.
My plan was to play-fight with Stardus for a while, then make a quick escape once I judged that she had grown enough.
Good. For the first time in ages, a plan was unfolding perfectly without the slightest deviation.
Today, I’m finally going home in one piece!
***
Meanwhile,
in the President’s office,
an agent continued speaking in the darkened room.
"Mr. President. The GOAB-3 stealth missile is ready to launch."
When she finished, another agent beside her added:
"We just received word from the Association. They report that the situation has stabilized enough that the missile will probably not be necessary. The likelihood of further casualties is low."
......
The President listened quietly from the shadows.
Without saying a word, the President merely toyed with the missile launch button.
"....Hmm."