Recognition
Recognition
A considerable amount of time had passed since Stardus began engaging the giant machine.
"...Hah. Hah."
Mid-battle, she paused her attacks and created some distance from the machine, taking a moment to steady her breathing.
Fortunately, as if granting her a respite, the machine did not pursue or attack her.
Thanks to that, she could catch her breath like this.
"...Hoo."
Hovering there, wiping the sweat from her brow, she looked utterly exhausted.
Her suit clung so tightly to her body that it outlined everything beneath it.
Her signature blonde hair was whipped about wildly by the wind.
In that state, she assessed herself objectively.
Her current condition was not good, to put it mildly.
Aside from these brief rest intervals, she had been flying nonstop, battling a machine several times her own weight class for hours on end... the very fact that she was still standing was remarkable.
Her body had been pushed so far past its limits that collapsing at any moment would hardly be surprising.
In this extreme situation, where even clenching a fist and throwing a punch was difficult,
Paradoxically, she felt her strength gradually increasing.
"..."
To produce the same output she could manage in peak condition despite being drained,
she kept forcing herself to draw out more power.
Without even realizing it, she felt her ability gradually breaking through its limits.
Like an athlete training with ankle weights to improve,
The more she gritted her teeth and fought to exert her usual power in this desperate situation, the more something stirred within her.
Her power, stagnant for so long, felt as though it was beginning to grow once more.
She had a gut feeling that just a little more stimulation would make it grow explosively.
With that thought, she unconsciously glanced once more toward the cockpit of the giant machine where Egostic sat.
Had he known her ability could grow this way and arranged all this because of it?
...Perhaps this was what he had been aiming for?
'You can do it.'
As she recalled his voice echoing in her ears, she shook her head.
Even so, that was probably taking it too far.
Probably...
Having rested enough, she drew another breath and prepared to resume the battle.
Right. Whether he intended it or not, this chance to grow stronger was an excellent opportunity. The stronger her abilities, the greater her chances of protecting civilians from villains.
For now, let's focus on defeating him.
She steeled her resolve and moved to step forward again.
That was when a voice suddenly crackled from the earpiece she had forgotten was even in her ear.
[Stardus. Stardus, can you hear me?]
"Association President...?"
She halted mid-step as she headed back toward the machine.
Why was he contacting her now, when she was in the middle of a fight?
As if answering her question, the Association president's voice came through the earpiece.
[There's been a change of plan. Prepare to withdraw soon.]
"...What?"
She could only tilt her head at his words. She was in the middle of a good fight, pushing past her limits—withdraw? The tide of battle wasn't even unfavorable.
Just as she was about to argue without thinking, the president continued in a low voice.
[The President has launched a GOAB at your location. It will impact the giant machine shortly, so time your escape well.]
"...Launched a what?"
[...GOAB-3. A stealth-guided missile. It is the most powerful missile currently available, capable of devastating nearly half the surrounding area. It is already flying toward you.]
The moment she heard that, her mind went blank. They launched a missile? Here?
Wait, but—
"...To begin with, can a missile even take that thing down?"
[Yes. It was developed in secret. Its destructive power is so immense that we couldn't fire it if that thing were in the city center since it would wipe out the entire city, but they say they were able to fire it thanks to Egostic moving to the outskirts.]
"Are you insane right now? How could you fire something like that here, no matter what!"
[Arguing with me won't change anything. It was the President's unilateral decision. He said he would use this chance to eliminate the vicious villain disrupting the nation once and for all—and raise public trust in the government while he was at it.]
Stardus, who had grown heated, forced herself to calm down and regain her rationality.
Right. He was an A-rank villain. The justification was clear. There probably would never be another opportunity like this, especially while he was trapped inside that machine with no room to monitor his surroundings.
"..."
Stardus's face hardened.
The government and the Association were both serious.
They intended to destroy the giant machine and Egostic together, right here and now.
...Right. In truth, killing a villain who can't be captured alive isn't exactly uncommon.
A considerable number of A-rank villains, Egostic included, were already authorized for immediate execution.
So, in other words...
Egostic would die here?
"..."
No.
If it was him, he'd notice the missile coming.
He was always one step ahead of her, looking down as though he knew everything. Of course he'd know.
Right. He'd probably escape immediately. He could teleport, after all.
He would... right?
[You've finally returned, Stardus! Just how long did you intend to keep me waiting?]
As she silently returned, his booming voice rang out from the giant machine.
...A villain who stops mid-fight and waits for the hero to rest up.
.....
Harboring complicated feelings about Egostic once more, she thought to herself.
Right.
If it was him, he would definitely escape during the battle. Of course he would.
And there was still time before the missile arrived. He would flee soon.
Thinking this, she carried on with the battle as if nothing had happened.
Yet her mind remained a tangled mess.
He would notice and escape, right? He would.
He must already know.
[Why can't you focus on the battle? Pay attention!]
Perhaps because she kept flying while lost in thought,
he noticed something was off with her and barked at her to focus.
...Wasn't it ironic? Wouldn't it be better for him if his enemy couldn't concentrate?
[Stardus. The missile will impact soon. You should make your escape now.]
How much time had passed? The Association president's voice sounded in her ear.
Hearing him, she looked toward Egostic once again.
[Hahahahahaha!]
Swinging giant arms around wildly, he showed absolutely no sign of wariness.
No matter how she looked at it, he didn't seem aware that a missile was about to drop on his head.
......
In that case, if she simply did nothing, he would die here.
Watching him, she fleetingly thought about him once more.
Egostic. He was unquestionably a villain. He had already committed several terror attacks.
So even if the government tried to kill him, he had no grounds to call it unfair. It was only natural. A dangerous villain should be killed when the opportunity arose.
But.
Was it truly right for him to meet his end here, like this?
She thought about it.
With his death right before her,
she stopped denying it to herself
and, for the first time, honestly
thought about Egostic—about him.
Egostic. At first, she had dismissed him as just like other villains—a "bad guy," simply put. Someone who threatened people, reveled in it, and carried out terrorist attacks for his own amusement.
But when did that change?
Was it when she realized that none of the terror attacks he caused had ultimately resulted in deaths?
Was it when she found out the villains he'd killed were all dangerous ones?
When he stopped her from stepping in at the festival and went in her place?
When he said he believed in her, at a time when she couldn't even believe in herself?
When he went so far as to pretend he was a hero at the scene of another villain's terror attack?
When he confessed that the reason he'd collapsed the bridge was to save people?
She couldn't pinpoint exactly when.
But at some point—she...
And so,
as she faced the giant machine carrying Egostic,
her blonde hair streaming behind her,
only with his death before her did she finally admit it.
At some point,
she had stopped thinking he was evil.
She couldn't precisely explain why.
When she looked at him, she never felt the malice common to other villains.
Sometimes, she wondered whether his reasons for committing terror attacks and opposing her
all came from some hidden reason she did not know.
Egostic was definitely a villain.
Definitely a villain, and yet why...
Did she feel a strange sense of kinship with him whenever she saw him?
When had she stopped even considering him a villain?
When had she started thinking he was deliberately acting in a way contrary to his true feelings?
In that moment, she realized.
That she had wanted to believe in Egostic. No—that, without even realizing it, she already did.
That, in truth, he wanted to save others, just like her.
Could it be that every terror attack he committed had some unavoidable reason behind it?
At some point, she had begun searching for reasons why Egostic was not really a villain.
The moment she finally acknowledged how she felt about him, she made a decision.
Egostic could not die like this.
And...
'This time... you owe me one.'
Hadn't he once saved her life?
Didn't she owe him a debt?
Right. He must not die here like this.
She would stop this missile herself.
After a moment of silence, she whispered into her earpiece.
"...I'm sorry."
[Huh? Stardus? Stardus? What's going on? Hey! Shin Ha-ru!]
She switched off the earpiece connecting her to the Association.
And the moment her decision was made,
She acted fast.
She kicked off from her spot and shot straight up into the sky.
Toward the direction the missile was coming from.
***
[What's Stardus doing rn?]
[What is that, is she running away???]
[That's not sideways, she's going straight up, so is she running away? What's she doing??]
[Our Stardus has gone crazy!!!]
[She's rocketing up like a missile lol]
"What the hell is she doing?"
I shouted in disbelief before I knew it.
I mean, why had she suddenly stopped fighting and launched herself into the sky? Was this some kind of ridiculous hidden-camera prank?
"Maybe she finally snapped and flew off because big bro stressed her out so much?"
"...I don't think that's it."
I lifted my head from the cockpit and watched Stardus, who kept soaring higher and higher into the sky.
No, seriously.
What the hell was going on??