The Only One Who Can Be Chosen
"What did you say? Cut off my arm? Jung Euisuk! You son of a bitch!!"
Finally, the profanity burst from Ji Sehwa’s lips. She’d held it in well until now.
"What? The condition includes you, too. If you cut off your own arm, I’ll accept you."
"Euisuk-ssi. Even so, that’s just…" Kang Yerin’s voice trembled. She looked back at the other members. Shin Yukyung remained quiet, arms crossed.
"Hey! Why are you being so quiet? Shin Yukyung, Choi Minseo! Say something!" Ji Sehwa shrieked. Still, no answer. The two of them only stared at her. Ji Sehwa looked down at her own right arm.
"Fuck… I’d rather… No, what kind of bullshit is this? Are you crazy? You’re all crazy!!"
Ji Sehwa backed away. There was one person who didn't take her eyes off her: Choi Minseo. She rose from her seat and began to walk slowly.
"What are you doing? Stop right there!"
Choi Minseo moved as if possessed. Kang Yerin tried to block her path and grab her arm.
"Minseo-ssi!"
Whack! Choi Minseo shook off Kang Yerin’s arm. "…Why are you stopping me?"
"Why am I stopping you? Are you out of your mind?! What are you thinking? Euisuk-ssi was just angry and said something harsh…!"
"Yerin-unni… you want it too, don't you?"
Kang Yerin bit her lower lip. She looked back at Ji Sehwa. The conflict was written all over her face.
"You, you bastards."
Ji Sehwa manipulated the switch on her transformation device. The Leviathan Saber appeared in her hand. The blue blade glowed. It was a warning that she would swing it if anyone approached.
"Haa, haa." Ji Sehwa’s breathing grew ragged. Her gaze wavered. She held the saber in her enhanced left hand, but her eyes kept darting to her right arm.
"…Hngh!"
It happened in an instant. Ji Sehwa gritted her teeth, spun the saber around, and brought it toward her arm.
"Ji Sehwa!"
"Sehwa-ssi!"
Ji Sehwa’s hand trembled. Blood began to trace a line where the blade touched her skin.
"It’s mine!!"
Whack! Choi Minseo shoved Kang Yerin aside and lunged. She pounced, but Ji Sehwa couldn't make the final decision. Eventually, Choi Minseo tackled her, and the two rolled on the floor in a heap. Shin Yukyung and Kang Yerin scrambled to pull them apart. Cute little things. It looked just like the pillow fights we used to have on trips.
"Euisuk-ssi! Euisuk-ssi!! Please, stop them!!" Kang Yerin wailed.
Since the noise was coming from behind me, I had no interest in it. I had been rummaging through Pegasus’s corpse for a while now.
"Found it."
A switch shaped like a shimmering galaxy of stars. It was the Supernova Switch. It was an item dropped by villain executives. It was of the same lineage as the Excalibur. That one had been dropped by Lancelot, an executive of the Dark Kingdom. If it were a hero squadron, they could equip this item to their transformation device to power up. A villain couldn't use the power immediately; it required an extraction process. But I had a different use for it in mind. The massive cosmic battleship visible in the sky. I had to head there now.
"Euisuk-ssi! Euisuk… Huh? A, a switch?" Shin Yukyung reacted to the word 'switch'. "Is that a switch you acquired from Pegasus!"
I sneered at them. "What? You were still fighting?"
"It’s because of you! All that talk about my arm…!" Ji Sehwa looked like she was about to cry. Her eyes were brimming with tears.
"Did you seriously believe that? I’m not a psychopath; there’s no way I’d accept an apology for something like that."
At those words, the four of them froze.
"How long have you known me? Did you think I was some lunatic who would be happy to see a severed arm?"
"Th, that’s not it…"
"I never needed that in the first place. But I can tell that one of you was sincere compared to the other three. Hey, Minseo."
"E, eh?" Choi Minseo was startled when her name was called.
"I’m busy right now, so come find me later. Alone, of course. If you have something to say, I’ll listen."
"Ah…!" A beaming smile spread across Choi Minseo’s face.
The only reason I’d listened to the nonsense of people I had no reason to be entangled with was to lure Choi Minseo out. I needed to get back Pestam, the raw material that would be the ultimate weapon against the Galactic Empire. For Choi Minseo to return it to me, she had to know where I was. It was a physical necessity. Currently, Pestam was likely stored in the most secure location of the Hero Association. I doubted even El.lena, the head of the Sacred Tree, could infiltrate that place, let alone the current Vengeance. So, having Choi Minseo retrieve it herself was the easiest way.
"Hey, it’s a promise…! I’ll definitely, definitely come to see you! Euisuk-oppa!"
Choi Minseo showed a smile that suggested she owned the world, as if the tear tracks were fake. It seemed the addiction to Pestam was progressing faster and more severely than I’d anticipated. Naturally, very few people in this world could say their current reality was the happiest moment of their lives. Pestam allowed the user to experience their happiest moment from the past, leaving it in their subconscious and making them crave it. It blurred the boundary between memory and reality, leading the user to replace reality with the past. Even for me, if I took it even once, I’d surely become a wreck. I’d spend the rest of my life infinitely repeating time with Somi in my dreams. I was certain that the happiest moment in her life was the early days of the Dragon King Squadron. And in that moment, I was there. I was deeply involved in Choi Minseo’s life. So, I figured that once she was addicted to Pestam, her dependency would resurface, and she would come looking for me. Since she was the one keeping it, reusing it wasn't a problem. The quantity was immense, so it wouldn't even be noticeable no matter how much she used. Judging by her reaction, the work was going very well.
Naturally, I had no intention of indulging her whims forever. Once I got Pestam back, that was it. Choi Minseo was doomed anyway. Her threshold for Pestam would keep rising, and when she hit her limit, the side effects would consume her. Still, it would be fun to play with her for a while. Maybe I’d try the so-called 'build them up and drop them' routine.
"Yeah. Make sure you come see me."
"Yes!!"
I gave a vague answer and began to manipulate the switch.
"Why that switch…."
"Do you need to know?"
"Is there a way to fight the Galactic Empire?" Shin Yukyung asked. I answered flatly.
"No."
"What…?" Ji Sehwa furrowed her brows.
"I said no. You know? Even if I look fine on the outside, I’m basically a corpse. Dr. Hyun is a genius. He actually brought a dead man back to life."
"That means…."
"You saw it just now, right? Beating Pegasus wasn't about strength; it was about strategy. Emperor Ractor? Haha. I can never win. I’ve become weak. I’ve lost almost all my power. Thanks to you guys."
"Ah…." Kang Yerin’s lips trembled.
"So, I’m going to their cosmic battleship now."
"Wh, what are you talking about! You just said yourself you can't win! You barely survived, what if you die again!"
"What are you talking about? If I die, isn't that great for you guys? It’ll be easier to manipulate the media."
"No… no… that’s not…."
I activated the switch. A pillar of light enveloped my body.
"Anyway, you guys don't listen to a word I say. Did I say I was going there to die? I said I was going there to live."
"Then…."
"I’m going to negotiate. With that Emperor bastard."
My body began to float. A pillar of light connected to the cosmic battleship.
"Wa, wait! We still have so much to talk about! Don't run away! I still don't know! Whether you’re right, whether I’m right, or what this annoying feeling is!!" Ji Sehwa had a fit.
"She’s right. Jung Euisuk, show some responsibility. As the Red of the Dragon King Squadron, there must be things left to do. You’re not saying you’re going to cut ties with us like this, are you?" Shin Yukyung was still spouting nonsense.
"Euisuk-oppa! Let’s meet again! I’ll be waiting!" Choi Minseo waved her hand at me like a puppy.
"…Sorry…." Kang Yerin was now mumbling, unable to even speak properly.
That’s right. Jung Euisuk, the Red Dragon, has no emotions to share with you. Quiet revenge belongs to Georgius.
I raised both middle fingers at them.
"It was filthy being with you until now, let’s never meet again."
Whoosh! I was shot toward the cosmic battleship.
◈ ◈ ◈
I tried to restrain myself, but as expected, it didn't go as planned. I got excited, angry, and wasted my emotions. My subconscious speech patterns even reverted to the old me. Get a grip. I’m heading into the heart of enemy territory right now.
I put on my helmet and scanned the pillar of light. The eerie sensation crawling over my skin was far more visceral than any wonder I felt at the mysterious cosmic technology. It felt like being digested and broken down in the intestines of a beast called the universe. Soon, my vision shifted. I was inside a magnificent building. In front of me were countless monster combatants holding spears, keeping me in check. This must have been the place where Pegasus was supposed to return.
"It is a sad affair. To dare step foot on this sacred ship after blowing out the brainstem of the great Galactic Empire’s Knight Commander. Your intelligence is truly primitive."
A female wolf-beast monster with black skin stood on a high pedestal. An executive, the Saint 'Eridanus'.
"The one with low intelligence is you, bitch."
"What did you just say?"
"I am the Red Dragon. The guest Emperor Ractor is looking for. Is this the etiquette the Empire uses to welcome a distinguished guest? If this is your own arbitrary decision, it could be seen as an insult to the Emperor. The Knight Commander disobeyed the Emperor’s orders and invaded 20 days early; is this your loyalty?"
"Ho, how dare an inferior species…!"
Eridanus’s arms trembled. She tried to raise her arm in a fit of rage, but a low voice echoed through the hall.
"But, Your Majesty!"
"I shall obey your command."
Eridanus suppressed her anger. The combatants stepped back. I followed her guidance and walked down the corridor. True to the name 'Empire', the interior of the ship felt like a fantasy nation, albeit with space-themed decorations. It felt like I had stepped into a world of fantasy. We arrived in front of a massive door. It was filled with combatants. The door opened. The interior was an even larger hall. Executives were positioned on both sides. In the center was a high dais. Sitting on the throne was him. Emperor Ractor. His gaze, looking down at me, illuminated the entire galaxy.
Now, then. Shall we begin? The negotiation to make Vengeance the strongest organization.