The Message is What Matters
“Georgius, you say….”
“So that’s the bastard…!”
Ji Se-hwa is grinding her teeth. She shouldn’t have the luxury of being distracted. Because Rena had cleverly left the monsters near the Dragon King Squad alive, they were still locked in combat.
『Breaking news! The red monster has been identified as Georgius, the long-veiled leader of Vengeance!』
『Vengeance, having stormed the scene, is demanding total submission from corporations in exchange for their survival!』
It’s being delivered well. I pulled the microphone away for a moment to send a transmission.
“DeepDive. Send it.”
『Okaaaay.』
With that, electronic contracts were sent to each of the five remaining buildings and five corporations. The boards of directors, representatives, and chairmen must be trembling inside their buildings. Regardless, they are the ones with the decision-making power.
『If you have eyes, you must have grasped the situation by now. Do you see the pathetic state of that Dragon King Squad?』
I pointed at Shin Yu-kyung, Ji Se-hwa, and Kang Ye-rin in turn.
『This is the current reality of the heroes who claim to be the world’s strongest. They are incompetent, weak, and they cut off the most capable one, Red Dragon, out of jealousy and spite.』
“Shut your trap! What would a filthy villain like you know!”
Ji Se-hwa seems quite furious.
『On the other hand, we villains have declared a truce and formed an alliance. You all saw it. That was the power of El Rena, the leader of the Sacred Tree and the number one ranked villain.』
Rena was still hugging herself, unable to escape the ecstasy. Crackle! Her belt couldn’t withstand the power of the Supernova and broke, sparking. Since it wouldn’t look good for the belt to fall to the ground, Lua immediately retrieved it with gravity manipulation and tossed the switch to me.
『How were the villains able to cast aside their private interests and unite? Because we all agreed. Because there is no future for any organization if we do not topple the Galactic Empire!』
I pointed at Cancer and declared.
『The heroes deceive the public with false justice and buy the media with money. It is because they must hide their own ugliness and weakness. That is why, even in this situation where hostages are dying in real-time, they have reached the point where they cannot even clear a single path.』
I mocked the Dragon King Squad.
『The logic of us villains is simple. We show our power. If you submit, we let you live. If you resist, we kill you. And the sign of submission is a social norm you are all well-acquainted with. A contract.』
I sent the signal. DeepDive hacked into the feeds of the five corporate decision-makers and broadcasted them. They didn’t know their faces were being shown.
『What is this content! This is a complete slave contract!』
『How could we sign something like this…』
『They’re telling us to hand over the entire corporation.』
『But it’s obvious we’ll die if we stay like this! We happen to be on the top floor! At least buy us some time!』
『It must be a trick. The heroes will find a way to handle it.』
The corporate leaders were in disarray. This was the picture I wanted.
『There are bound to be companies that sign anyway. Once these guys have gone this far, they’ll take down the monsters, right? So either way, we’ll survive!』
There are companies that think that way, too. I muttered into the microphone.
『I don’t intend to give you much time. Five minutes. If you want to submit to the Villain Alliance, send the contract. Those who still believe in the heroes can die there.』
I declared. They know it, too. Such an unfair contract wouldn’t hold legal weight. In the first place, a villain organization couldn’t walk into a courthouse on its own. This is closer to a form of intimidation. A message saying, If you don’t follow the terms below, our organization will crush you. The moment they sign, that corporation must be permanently subservient to Vengeance. I crafted the terms meticulously so they couldn’t disperse or bypass the company to escape.
“You cowards, threatening the citizens! Aren’t you ashamed!”
Kang Ye-rin is shouting at me. I crossed my arms and scoffed.
“You’re the ones who should be ashamed. You’re barely executives, not emperors. To think you couldn’t even leave a scratch on Cancer, following Pegasus. Why don’t you return your S-Squad titles? There are plenty of powerful heroes in the States.”
“No matter what you bastards babble, we are the heroes! Not a single company will sign! Villain scum uniting to topple the Galactic Empire? Don’t make me laugh!”
Shin Yu-kyung retorted.
“You were the ones who started the terror on us in the first place, Vengeance! You coward hiding behind a kid. I’ll smash your head in!”
Ji Se-hwa is furious. Shall I add some spice here?
“Why did Vengeance attack the Dragon King Squad, and why do we have legitimacy in our crusade against the Galactic Empire? Do you still not know? Dragon King Squad members.”
“What did you say?”
I held up the Supernova switch.
“How do you have that!”
As expected of Shin Yu-kyung. She recognizes it immediately. I grabbed the microphone.
『I’ll help the corporations make their choice. I will explain why the Villain Alliance is strong enough to topple the Galactic Empire, and the legitimacy of our purpose.』
I snapped my fingers. The airship’s optical camouflage disengaged. The airship door opened. A man appeared from within.
“Ah…?!”
“No way…!”
Shin Yu-kyung, Ji Se-hwa, and Kang Ye-rin were stunned.
Standing on the airship was a hero in a red suit. It was Red Dragon.
Pop. Red Dragon spread his arms. He held a microphone in his hand. I turned my body slightly. I intend to use ventriloquism, but I shouldn’t show any awkward movements.
『I speak to the world. The heroes are corrupt!』
Kang Ye-rin stopped in her tracks upon hearing my voice.
『The Dragon King Squad betrayed and killed me after I defeated Dark Arthur! Because they coveted my money, my switch, and my honor! The one who resurrected me is!』
Thump! Red Dragon’s hand pointed at me.
『Georgius, the owner of the Celtic Bio Research Institute! I acknowledge it! He is an enhanced human who has super-evolved through biotechnology! He has the power to topple the Galactic Empire!』
“Pfft, ahahahaha!” Rena couldn’t hold back her laughter. I’ve never seen you laugh like that before. Try to hold it in.
『Of course, he is a villain. He does not possess the justice I once guarded. I, too, agonized over this for a long time. However, it is a fact that he is my savior. And it is also a fact that he is the only hope to topple the Galactic Empire, which is impossible for the corrupt and weakened heroes!』
Red Dragon clenched his fist.
『I, Red Dragon, appeal to you! If this is the only means for humanity to survive, then now is the time to set aside ideology! Hero Ranking #1 Red Dragon hereby declares his support for Georgius!』
Red Dragon’s speech echoed. His voice reached the entire world.
“The Association President’s eyes weren’t wrong. As expected, he was being swayed by the villain.”
Shin Yu-kyung is being perfectly deceived. That’s even better.
“…What am I supposed to do. If this is the case, then I. Damn it. What have I been agonizing over all this time. Like an idiot! Fuck!!”
Ji Se-hwa slammed her sword into the ground.
“Lies! It’s a fake, it’s a fake! Uiseok-ssi… he wouldn’t deny the heroes….”
Kang Ye-rin was waving her arms, denying reality. She was in despair, looking up at Red Dragon. Suspecting it’s a fake isn’t good.
『Ji Se-hwa, Shin Yu-kyung, Kang Ye-rin. I apologize for the terror inflicted upon you. It was something Georgius did out of anger after hearing my story. Se-hwa, your left arm was lost because you cut off my arm along with the transformation device on the Dark Kingdom’s space battleship.』
If I reveal things only they know, they won’t think it’s a fake. Furthermore, I can add some flavor about what they did.
“You fucker…! You, and then my right…!”
『Ye-rin, you are playing the role of leader while I’m gone. You’ve had a hard time. You even equipped gear with the cooperation of the US military today. We talked about this about six months ago. But I will be cold and honest. You cannot defeat the Galactic Empire as you are.』
I have to make sure she doesn’t say anything useless. Kang Ye-rin was completely out of it.
『And Yu-kyung, you are…』
I don’t really have anything to say to her. I signaled Red Dragon. Red Dragon dropped the microphone, clutched his chest as if in pain, and collapsed.
『Red Dragon has collapsed!』
『Are there still aftereffects remaining!』
『It appears to be a side effect of the Pegasus battle!』
Now, it’s about time. I had Red Dragon’s airship retreat. For your information, that isn’t Kim Deok-bae. His physique is completely different from mine.
『Boss, mission accomplished. Are you going to give me a reward later?』
A communication came through. A seductive, mature voice. It was Illusion. It was a long distance anyway, and the Red Dragon seen until just now was Illusion’s clone. Since the time was up, I picked up the microphone.
『It is time. Let’s check the contracts. Three out of the five companies have signed.』
I declared.
『Goh Kang-seok Foundation, D&P Finance, and Blue Sky Capital are, as of this moment, subsidiaries of the Villain Alliance. I will take responsibility for your lives. And.』
I bared my teeth.
『The rest will die.』
Thud! Screeeech— The dropped microphone made a noise. I stepped on it and crushed it. In front of me, Cancer was resurrecting the combatant monsters again.
“Rena, let’s begin.”
“You use such troublesome methods.”
“Didn’t you say the message is what matters?”
“Hehe. That is also true.”
Rena nodded, unfolding her fan. She sent a signal. At the same time, a small noise could be heard from afar. The noise grew louder and louder, striking my ears. Small dots that I thought were a flock of birds grew larger and larger, charging toward us.
『That is…!』
『It’s a transport ship! A massive quantity of transport ships are flying toward the scene!』
The transport ships arrived. Countless people jumped from above. Parachutes deployed. Or some were flying with their own abilities. The number already exceeded several hundred. Even before they landed, lights flashed and the ground was torn apart by their abilities. The combatant monsters exploded into pieces of meat. All of them were A-rank or higher villains. It was the Sacred Tree’s reinforcements. Rena looked at me with relaxed eyes.
“Geo, are you satisfied with this much?”