Battle of the Strongest
Battle of the Strongest
The outskirts of the capital region.
A place filled only with ruined debris, where everyone else had evacuated.
A massive armored weapon stood there in all its imposing grandeur.
An overturned hemispherical head, two long arms hanging down, and an enormous, towering torso and legs.
A giant weapon that looked incredibly dangerous at a glance.
And before it—
a lone figure hovered in the air, barely visible by comparison.
Facing a weapon dozens—perhaps hundreds—of times larger than herself without the slightest fear, her long blonde hair streaming behind her, was Stardus.
And facing her from the cockpit of that giant weapon was me, Egostic.
"My, my. This place has become a complete ruin, hasn’t it?"
I spoke into the microphone with a grin.
My voice boomed from speakers mounted somewhere on the giant weapon.
It was loud enough to blast directly into Stardus’s ears right in front of me.
"Piloting this thing is giving me the urge to march straight into Seoul..."
I grinned as I said it.
"Well, whether I do that is up to you, Stardus. If you fight me here and win, I’ll withdraw without a fuss. But if I win? I’ll drive straight toward Seoul and turn it into a sea of fire."
"So."
I stopped there, worked the controls, and crooked a mechanical finger at her.
"Why don’t you make the first move?"
The moment I finished, she was already flying toward me with her blonde hair streaming and one fist clenched.
She looked like she was smiling. That had to be my imagination, right?
Anyway, the time had finally come to show off the skills I had honed over years of fighting games.
I put my hands on the controls in earnest and shouted to the group behind me.
"Everyone, hold on tight! The real fight starts now!"
I worked the controls and made the machine clench its fist as well.
All right. Let’s begin the real fight.
***
Stardus.
Even with the overwhelming giant robot before her, she felt no fear.
...No. If she were honest, she did feel a little pressure. It was several times larger than she was, so of course its presence was intimidating.
But—
was it because Egostic had called her over with such a confident smile?
His promise not to destroy Seoul if she defeated him almost felt like encouragement—as though he were telling her that she had to win if she didn't want to see that happen.
Or perhaps the reason she was not truly afraid even before this enormous machine was that
when she had despaired in a situation that seemed just as impossible to overcome,
‘You can do it.’
she remembered his voice saying those words.
"....Right."
She smiled before she knew it and murmured:
"Let’s see what you’ve got."
She clenched her fist and flew toward the giant robot.
The robot extended its fist in return.
The curtain rose on their battle.
***
"Yes! As we speak, Stardus and the giant weapon piloted by Egostic have collided! Wow—even with the camera this far away, the shock wave is reaching us! Stardus is attacking from the side, and Egostic is blocking her. Ah, Egostic counterattacks! A gigantic arm flies toward Stardus! Stardus narrowly dodges!"
[Is this Egostic-versus-Stardus fight actually real? This is literally a battle between the strongest in the whole setting. Is that really the loser Stardus we knew? My chest swells with pride...]
[Stardus is dodging all over the place lol]
[How is Stardus supposed to fight something that huge? Isn’t this completely rigged?]
[She’s the girl who caught a falling plane lol Give her some credit]
[This fight is just going to get added to her résumé too lol—fought a villain piloting a giant weapon]
[And she’s fighting him evenly, holy shit]
[Is Stardus finally getting promoted to S-rank this time?????]
[Didn’t Mangostic just steal that robot? Why is he so good at controlling it lol]
[Our Mango can do everything lmaooo]
[Honestly, at this point promote Egostic to S-rank too. Everything he’s shown so far outclasses most S-ranks]
[He took down those crazy Han-eun Group bastards this time—promote him to S-rank hero already]
[I’m not in the Mangostic Fandom, but I agree]
[Fact: The fan cafe posted the link, so only Mangostic fans are here]
[Nope. Stardus Fandom is here too -.-]
[Upvote if you’re a Mangostic fan who’s upset because Egostic didn’t start his broadcast lol]
[Why are we stuck in a news chatroom for this~ Why isn’t the Ego Stream site living up to its name and streaming?]
[The chat seems quieter than usual today. Is it because this isn’t an official Egostic broadcast?]
[Probably because that thing triggered a disaster alert south of Seoul earlier, so everyone is busy evacuating]
[No? I evacuated with my family, and now I’m watching the broadcast out on the street]
[You’re insane lol]
[Stardus is seriously fighting well in the middle of all this lol]
***
How much time had passed since the battle began?
They were still fighting.
[Hahahaha! Stardus, is that really all you can do? Try a little harder!]
Laughter rang out from the giant robot.
Stardus gritted her teeth at the sound.
The prolonged battle had exhausted her, leaving her panting for breath.
Drenched in sweat, she barely evaded his attacks and looked to be in poor condition, but the robot was not unscathed either.
Its exterior had been pristine at first, but smoke now rose from somewhere after her repeated attacks.
Of course, it was still in far better condition than Stardus, who was now so exhausted that merely staying airborne was difficult, but it had clearly taken damage.
She kept gritting her teeth.
Right. Honestly,
with her current strength, victory looked difficult.
The difference in weight class was simply too large.
It only needed to hit her once, while she had to batter it from every direction.
And because its swinging fists were made of steel, every hit carried a tremendous impact—enough to make her entire body ring.
Her ability had grown considerably, but it was still not enough.
[Are you tired already? Is that all you have?!]
Another fist from the weapon flew toward her with his taunt.
"Urgh."
She barely blocked it and let out a groan.
Her body was exhausted, and she could no longer put strength into it.
Even continuing to fly had pushed her to the limit.
It was a hopeless situation—enough to break an ordinary person’s spirit.
But—
she still hadn't given up.
Shin Ha-ru.
Was this the first time she had faced such a hopeless situation?
No. She had despaired before.
I can’t win. I can’t do anything.
‘You can do it.’
But had she not overcome it?
Panting with exhaustion, she reignited the fire in her eyes.
Right. Giving up here made no sense.
She drew another breath and charged at the giant weapon.
She would live up to his expectations and defeat him, no matter what.
And then—
[Oh-ho? That’s more like it! Now this is a fight I can enjoy!]
[Big bro, control it properly!]
[Hey, be careful!]
"...."
Faint female voices leaked from the machine behind his words.
Without realizing it, she clenched her jaw and tightened her fist.
She now had one more reason to bring down that giant weapon.
After she destroyed it, she would also find out exactly who those women beside him were.
With strength she did not know she still possessed, she charged at the giant weapon again.
***
"Yes! That’s it!"
I shouted before I knew it.
Stardus had been growing steadily more exhausted, but after renewing her resolve, she attacked me with every last ounce of strength she possessed.
The women behind me complained about my rough handling of the controls, but I didn't waver.
This was my chance to make Stardus grow explosively!
Insanely powerful villains would begin pouring out from this point onward. The stronger she became now, the easier things would be for her later.
More importantly, this was the best possible opportunity for growth.
Working out was the same: the dumbbell lifted when you were so exhausted you could not move a finger was the one that worked best.
Her ability would likewise break through its limits and grow if she kept fighting while completely exhausted.
In other words, this was the perfect time for her to grow much stronger, very quickly.
"Hahaha! More! Attack me more!!!"
Even as I fought Stardus in a voice dripping with madness, my brain spun at full speed.
At this rate, she would be much stronger in a few hours.
Then I could pretend to make a mistake, let her land a few hits, fall over shouting, “Aagh! To think you defeated me!” and run away. That should work, right?
Good. The plan was perfect!
Sob. How long had it been since everything went this smoothly according to plan?
I was moved.
***
The Hero Association.
The operations control room.
"That’s it! Yes, an uppercut right there! Ah, that was clean. Ha-ru definitely has good instincts. Mm-hm."
The Association president chewed popcorn while watching the battle between Stardus and Egostic on the large wall-mounted monitor.
An employee hurried over to him.
"Sir!"
"What is it?"
"The President—the President...!"
The employee’s next words managed to make even the Association president’s expression stiffen.
"H-he launched a missile toward the scene!"
"Ha..."
The Association president dropped the tub of popcorn before he realized it.
Only a low murmur escaped him.
"...We’re fucked."