Temporary Alliance (2)
I ended up facing Brain Buster in a way that didn't suit my fate at all. Part of me wanted to run, but that wasn't an option.
This Brain Buster had a vicious streak—once it locked onto an enemy, it would chase them to the ends of hell and kill them. It had already marked me as one. The red glow from its eyes wouldn't let me go.
It wasn't surprising, considering I'd smashed the main body where its laser beam came from. In the original story, it took Seo Ha-yoon—buffed to the hilt by the protagonist—and Ida-in teaming up just to barely capture it.
It should still be around the strength of volume 1 Seo Ha-yoon.
This was before volume 1 even started, so its power level should be right around there. Seo Ha-yoon was your classic growth-type hero—weak at this point in the story. Teaming up with her as Blank, a B-rank villain with barely any screentime, felt honestly unnerving.
But there were no other choices.
It's fine. I can do this.
I couldn't die pointlessly in a dump like this. I was pretty strong myself, and I had knowledge from the original story. I knew this big lug's weak points.
Shiiiiiing——!
Seo Ha-yoon fired a laser beam straight at what anyone could see was its weak spot—the exposed brain and spine.
Kabooooom——!
The laser exploded with a deafening blast, but as expected, it had no real effect.
"Energy field…."
Seo Ha-yoon scowled at the translucent hexagonal barrier around the central body. So she knew about it too. It was the energy field commonly seen in hero gear from Karls Industries—an energy barrier that acted as an ultra-powerful shield. It blocked all physical and energy-based attacks—a groundbreaking invention.
"Flash. To maintain a field that strong, there has to be a control device nearby. Look at its legs. Suspicious, right?"
I just gave her the hint straight from the original.
"Yeah, it's impossible to project a barrier like that from long range. Ah."
Seo Ha-yoon spotted the large orb-like devices on Brain Buster's four legs. Plasma-like energy from the orbs was being sucked toward the center of its body.
"Please."
I wanted to give precise orders, but there wasn't time to explain. I dashed off to do my part. Flash was the type who handled things on her own anyway. The story often described her innate combat sense as her greatest strength—stronger than any superpower.
My target was the control device on its left front leg. Brain Buster, sensing my aim, opened the missile ports on the side of its body to fire.
Weeeeeing——!
Just as the missile was about to launch, Seo Ha-yoon's beam engulfed the laser port.
Kabooooom!!!!
Before it could even fire, the missile port exploded from the beam, dealing significant damage to Brain Buster. It swung the laser port toward me and fired a beam. Unlike missiles, the instant-fired beam was incredibly threatening, but that's where Seo Ha-yoon's ability shone.
Her obliquely fired beam deflected the trajectory of Brain Buster's shot. Because her beam had higher density than its standard beam weapon, Brain Buster's bent under the force.
Kabooooom——!!!
The beam aimed at me smashed into the asphalt a bit away instead. So ranged projectiles were her cover. Without a word, she'd perfectly played the role I needed.
She's weaker than volume 5 Seo Ha-yoon, but her sense is about the same.
I reached the leg with the control device. Close enough to swing my pipe. I spun my whole body for momentum and smashed the pipe down hard.
Kaboooooooooom—!!!!
The pipe shattered the control device cleanly. Converting the pipe's impact into a shockwave was second nature now. The pipe got a bit dented from the force, but it was still usable. This random pipe I'd picked up was surprisingly tough. I'd noted its great grip from the start, and its performance didn't disappoint.
Crackle-crackle.
I dodged as plasma burst from the broken orb-like machine, spraying everywhere.
Kabooooom!!!!
One of Brain Buster's legs disintegrated completely from the superheated plasma.
"…."
Now I just had to do this shit three more times. Let's go.
——
Seo Ha-yoon blocked Brain Buster's ranged attacks from afar while I dove under its body to disable the control devices one by one. With her fully committed to intercepting its missiles and beams, I had free rein to move.
Shiiiing!!!
Judging ranged attacks ineffective, Brain Buster suddenly extended long steel tentacles from its body for a surprise strike on Seo Ha-yoon.
"…!"
Her reaction was slow, focused as she was on ranged defense. This was on me. I sprinted toward the incoming tentacle, bashed it with my pipe, and unleashed a shockwave.
Crunchhhh.
The super-alloy tentacle bent from the pipe hit and exploded spectacularly.
"…."
Seo Ha-yoon silently nodded to me before returning to her task.
——
Me protecting Seo Ha-yoon from close-range attacks while she shielded me from ranged ones—it was bizarre at first glance but highly efficient. If someone who didn't know we were villain and hero saw this, they'd think we made a great hero duo.
"It's over!!!!"
I finally disabled the last control device.
—Threat Level Rising. Overclock Mode Activated—
Great, I'd smashed them—but the ominous mechanical voice from Brain Buster's mouth was unsettling.
Kaboooooooooom———!!!!!
I realized too late, caught in the blast, that it had suddenly severed and detonated its heavily damaged body parts.
Ah. Fuck.
It was a pattern from the original, but I lacked the agility to dodge the explosion.
Shiiiiiing——
As the blast's heat engulfed my face, something snatched me away fast. It was Seo Ha-yoon. She scooped me up princess-style and became a beam of light herself, whisking me out of the explosion radius.
She helped me?
Seo Ha-yoon, who was ruthlessly hardline against villains, had saved me from the blast. It felt unexpected for a second.
After smashing four control devices, my usefulness should be done.
If I were her, I wouldn't have bothered saving me. She'd gotten her money's worth from this villain—could've just ditched me.
No, maybe it's because she's such an upright hero.
She was my assigned hero. Maybe this was her resolve to catch me fair and square with her own hands and see me face justice. Yeah, that tracked. That's the kind of person Seo Ha-yoon was.
"Thanks."
Anyway, she'd helped, so a thank-you was in order.
"…."
She clearly heard me but didn't reply. Not the friendly type, huh.
The effect of destroying the four devices kicked in properly. The energy field around Brain Buster's core vanished.
Now I just had to play Ida-in's role while she landed the finishing blow. I wasn't Ida-in, but dropping it the same way as the original worked fine.
"Aim for the weak point."
I shouted that to Seo Ha-yoon and charged at Brain Buster. I could buy about three seconds. She just needed to end it in that time.
Weeeeeing.
All of Brain Buster's attack methods focused on me for a moment. If Seo Ha-yoon was even a bit late, I'd be dust.
Still, I decided to trust our protagonist, Flash Seo Ha-yoon.
Huh. As expected, she instinctively knew what to do. She was gearing up for a technique far grander than her basic beam—a massive one in scale.
It wasn't just firing a beam; it was materializing a spear-of-light giant javelin and hurling it.
「Flash」
Seo Ha-yoon's signature ultimate technique,
⟨ Gungnir (Unyielding Judgment) ⟩
Don't ask why the Norse myth spear has the subtitle "Unyielding Judgment." Probably just sounded cool. In this genre, style was everything. A hero without flair was worse than a weak one.
The barrage on me lasted only seconds before Seo Ha-yoon hurled her spear of light, piercing Brain Buster's core with full force.
Kaboooooooooom!!!!!!!!!!
With the energy field gone, Gungnir speared straight through, exploding Brain Buster from the inside out. It was messy, but a satisfying fireworks show.
Seo Ha-yoon and I stared silently at the blaze, bright enough to forget it was night.
Just like the end of volume 5.
In volume 5, she finishes Brain Buster with Gungnir too. Who knew I'd witness an iconic original scene so directly? Possession might not be so bad after all.
But smashing Brain Buster before volume 1... is that okay?
Hadn't I derailed the story big time? It felt like I'd gotten dragged into this unavoidable variable, but the plot had diverged anyway. Would this butterfly effect something? That started worrying me.
But worries aside, I was overflowing with accomplishment and satisfaction right now. I'd fought alongside Seo Ha-yoon, the protagonist and a character I really liked. We'd teamed up to take down a powerful foe. This was prime friendship-budding hero story territory.
As I basked in that warm camaraderie toward Seo Ha-yoon on my own—
Ziiiiiing——
I reflexively dodged the beam grazing past me and backpedaled. Seo Ha-yoon, fingers concentrated with light, stared at me with her glowing yellow eyes.
Temporary alliance over already, huh.
"Blank. Care to explain this in detail? Cooperate, and you might get leniency. Come quietly."
She pressured me with eyes embodying justice itself.
"…Can't you just let me go? We made a good team."
Maybe it'd work.
"G-good team...? What the hell!! Don't confuse me with nonsense, Blank!!"
Instead, Flash Seo Ha-yoon's face flushed beet red with even more fury.
Persuasion failed. Okay. No point dwelling—time to bolt. But how?