The True Hero's Stand
The villains in Transforming Heroes, the series starring Nova, were all completely unhinged. They were creations from that narrow-minded hack Tanaka's twisted brain, so of course they lacked any charm to captivate readers. They were nothing more than disposable props—pathetic, idiotic stepping stones designed solely to make the protagonist shine.
Still, there was one villain named Nova that stuck in my memory for a single reason. It was the episode where the author's fucking racist and bizarre ideologies were laid bare. A terrorist group made up of Koreans gets thwarted by the protagonist, and Nova was the one facing off against him, I think? Since it was an early storyline, Nova's power level wasn't all that impressive.
"Krahahaha! Is that all you've got?"
"Urk...!"
Unlike her bold entrance, Nova was getting utterly crushed by the villain. Was this just the limitation of a villain meant to fall to the protagonist early on?
"Now even this little runt calls me Muscle Pig? I'll kill you!"
No, dude, nobody said that. Why are you playing your own hype man like this!
"When did I ever— Gah!"
Nova barely rolled out of the way of the car the enraged villain swung at her, but she couldn't dodge the follow-up attack.
"Your guard's wide open down low!"
"Guhak!"
The kick landed squarely in her gut, sending Nova flying like a cannonball straight into the café where I was. She crashed right through.
"Kyaaah!"
"H-Hiiik!!"
The people still inside the café, who hadn't managed to escape yet, screamed in terror. And that just poured fuel on the mad villain's murderous rage.
"What? You lot calling me Muscle Pig too!"
Caught in his full-blown persecution complex, the lunatic villain stomped toward the café, snorting with fury. Just like he'd tried to kill me earlier, he clearly planned to slaughter everyone inside.
Damn it, when are the other heroes showing up? The street's a total warzone!
Even in this life-or-death crisis, no other heroes were in sight. I didn't care what happened to this world Tanaka wrote—not my problem—but I didn't want to watch people get butchered right in front of me!
As I frantically tried to call the authorities again on the phone I'd already reported with several times, a voice rang out.
"It's... not over yet."
"Nova...?"
Nova staggered out from the wreckage, but her condition was horrific. Her suit's gear was smashed, and fresh blood poured nonstop from a gash on her head. Even to a total amateur like me, she was way past her limits.
Yet her eyes didn't waver.
"Bluffing when you're half-dead? Step aside—I'll kill those Muscle Pig callers first, then..."
"...Pig."
"What? What'd you say?"
"Pfft, even your ears are muscled up? I said Muscle Pig, you Muscle Pig bastard."
──Has she lost her mind? Did she hit her head, or is she too woozy from blood loss to read the room? That villain's already gone berserk—why poke the bear!
Ah, wait—is this that cliché where she baits the villain to protect the civilians? If so, it worked like a charm.
"K-Krahahaha! Fine, you're first!!"
The villain, eyes rolled back in rage, swung his fist. Nova instinctively raised her guard, but her slender arms stood no chance against his massive ham hock of a punch.
"...!!"
She flew back into the street without even a scream, skipping across the asphalt like a stone on water before slamming into the guardrail and finally stopping. An eerie silence followed—she might've been dead.
But the villain wasn't done venting.
"Die, hero!"
As he leaped into the air for a killing dropkick, intent on leaving no trace—
Peeing──Spurt!
"K-Kraaaagh!"
A streak of red light sliced through the air, gruesomely punching through the villain's side. He writhed on the ground, screaming in agony from the delayed pain.
Where the red flash had passed, intense heat and overwhelming pressure descended. The source of the flames that pierced the villain's flank landed gracefully from the sky.
"That's far enough, villain."
Her red hair whipped in the wind as she exuded crushing intimidation, her face cold and arrogant—no trace of the fresh smile I'd seen on the news.
"It's Flare!"
"S-rank hero Flare!"
The terrified screams flipped to cheers in an instant.
Flare, the S-rank hero who wielded fire—self-proclaimed and widely acknowledged as Korea's most famous and popular hero, right? Her mere presence crushed the villain; he trembled, too intimidated to even scream.
"As expected of Flare!"
"We owe you our lives, Flare!"
"Kyaa! Flare, you're so cool!!"
Who knew where they'd been hiding? As things calmed, people poured out from everywhere.
"Thank you, citizens! Your cheers gave me the strength to apprehend this villain safely!"
Flare flashed her news-ready smile and waved amid the praises and roars. The thunderous applause alone made her popularity crystal clear.
Whatever. She's not in my memories, so probably not that important—maybe died when Korea fell, or fled abroad?
Ah, right! Nova!
More urgent than this Flare woman was Nova's condition. Rushing over, I found her even worse than I'd feared. Her body lay limp on the cold asphalt, motionless. Her joints were twisted unnaturally—probably shattered bones. Bruises and nonstop bleeding peeked through her torn suit, tightening my chest.
"Flare!"
"Flare, over here!"
Even now, people were laughing and chatting like it was a party. Unbelievable. A person's dying, and you're cheering? Are you all insane?
What do I do? Even with my powers, I couldn't fix this mangled—
"I-I'm fine."
"Y-Yes?"
Nova, whom I'd thought unconscious, twitched and propped herself up against some rubble.
"I'm B-rank, but my ability is physical enhancement, so I'm pretty tough."
"R-Really? But your wounds are so severe..."
"A hero hospital can handle this no problem. More importantly, are you okay, sir? Any injuries?"
"......"
Who's worrying about whom here? She's a mess, yet she's fretting over me? I was too stunned to speak.
"I'm fine... thanks to you saving me, Miss Nova."
"Ehehehe... It's a hero's job to protect citizens."
Embarrassed by my words, Nova blushed and beamed. The face-obscuring tech hid her features, but that innocent smile was pure girl-next-door, softening my harsh scowl without me realizing.
"So what'd that one even do?"
"Hero database says B-rank."
"Jeez, stay in your lane if you're B-rank."
"Right? She poked the villain and nearly made it worse."
"Heroes getting wrecked by villains? Hilarious."
But the mocking jeers from behind soured my mood again.
What the hell are they saying?
What'd she do? Nova held the line, preventing worse damage and buying time until this Flare showed up. She baited in the café to save lives. And above all, she saved me—the girl you're sneering at.
"Hey, you lot! What the—"
Not even the victim, and I was already boiling over to snap at them—but Nova's weak grip on my sleeve stopped me.
"Calm down, sir. I'm okay."
"But Miss Nova, you..."
"They're not wrong. A hero can't just take hits from villains."
"......"
"If I'd beaten him, you wouldn't have been scared. It's my failure."
Her eyes were purely sincere—no hint of a lie. I covered my face with my hand. So upright it was frustrating to watch. She'd risked her life protecting people, yet no one but me—an otherworlder—acknowledged it. She could've resented them, but instead she blamed herself. That infuriating purity made me gently place a hand on her shoulder.
"S-Sir?"
"Listen up, Miss Nova. Heroes need to beat villains, sure—but saving people is more important."
Those idiots might be right—she got wrecked and lost embarrassingly. But.
"The one who saved me from that near-death? Not Flare, not any other hero—just you, Nova. You are my hero."
"Ah..."
"So don't put yourself down."
Cheesy enough to give me goosebumps saying it, but I had to. I couldn't stand seeing my rescuer deflated by those trash-talkers.
"Th-Thank you...!"
Whether from shyness or joy, Nova teared up and flushed deeper. Yeah, better than that gloomy face. Satisfied with her brightened expression, I slowly stood.
"Sir?"
"I'll head out first. Hate dealing with police or Association interviews."
"But at least go to the hospital..."
I'm telling you, I'm fine. So much I wanted to say, but distant sirens made me give Nova a light nod and slip away.
"Huh? Her wounds? When did they heal?"
I melted into the crowd, ignoring Nova's shocked voice behind me.
Nova—hero Nova, huh—
"This is gonna be fun."