The Association in Riot, Attacking the Association President
"Hey. What is that?" Ji Se-hwa pointed at the corpse of Arkshi, who had been an Epsilon. She didn't seem to understand the situation. However, Kang Ye-rin grasped exactly what Dorado had done.
"He turned a person into a monster...?"
Dorado chuckled and flicked his staff. "Next time, it might be fine to use you all as vessels. I'll take the Epsilon as research material. Even though you are an inferior race, I find you quite interesting. Let's meet again."
A pillar of light enveloped Dorado and the Epsilon's corpse. "Wait...!" Ignoring Kang Ye-rin's shout, Dorado was gone, leaving behind only a large, strange pattern on the ground.
"This can't be."
"This case must be kept confidential. Fortunately, the site was sealed off, and the media has been kept away since the moment we subdued the Epsilon. Let's return first." That was Shin Yu-kyung's opinion. Kang Ye-rin agreed. It was the first victory they had finally achieved, but it felt incredibly unsettling. The one they had defeated wasn't a monster, but a person—a hero, at that.
Kang Ye-rin looked down at her palms. A sticky, unpleasant sensation was crawling up her arms toward her neck. "...Killing a person."
"What do you mean, a person? Arkshi was already dead, and the Epsilon was just a monster that utilized that corpse. We proved our strength; there's no better victory than this."
"Now I'll be stronger than that bastard Jung Eui-seok. Even he will regret it if he sees me now, right? I'll make him cry and beg even more!"
Shin Yu-kyung and Ji Se-hwa didn't seem to have a shred of agony or conflict over killing Arkshi. Kang Ye-rin had long since given up on talking to them. Their paths were already far too different. Choi Min-seo hadn't been seen for a month, as if she really intended to quit being a hero. Kang Ye-rin was even thinking that it would be better to recruit strong American heroes like the Absolute Seven or Exile to fill the vacancy.
'...It's painful.'
Every time she thought she had taken a step forward, something tangled around her ankles. This shouldn't be a special situation. Heroes always had enemies, and there was never much time to rest. Only now did she realize how much weight was carried on a leader's shoulders.
"Let's talk to the Association President about this case first. It's a matter for her to judge," Shin Yu-kyung suggested. Kang Ye-rin didn't care one way or the other.
"...She isn't picking up." Shin Yu-kyung, who was trying to communicate, tilted her head. Kang Ye-rin immediately tried to connect to the direct line with the Association President. But it failed. It was past the time the new grading system should have been announced. There was no reason she shouldn't be communicating with the Dragon King Team. Kang Ye-rin began to have a bad feeling.
"Yellow Clocker! Silver Mirrored!" A hero came running toward them. He relayed the fact with a desperate face. "It's a disaster! A riot is breaking out at the Association...!"
About a month had passed since Cancer appeared and the formation of the Villain Union was declared. During that time, protesters began to increase in front of the Association. They were forces supporting the Villain Union, blaming the Association for their incompetence. This protest grew in scale day by day, but no counter-protests occurred. Support for heroes was merely a shallow concept the public held due to constant exposure in the media. Most people in this city, where the wealth gap was severe, were busy working and basically had no major interest in such issues.
On the other hand, the reason the Villain Union protest could grow systematically was because Lee Jung-hye, the former Iron Mountain and current leader of the Resistance, was leading them systematically. She had already recruited independent ability users and formed the Resistance organization, 'Anthology'.
Since that day, Red Dragon had occasionally made contact through secret routes. Lee Jung-hye carried out his orders, recruited independent ability users to build strength, and focused mainly on changing public opinion. She was a little surprised that Red Dragon was the head of the Villain Union, but she never doubted his justice, given that his goal of subduing the Galactic Empire had not changed. And now, an order had come down. Confirming it, Lee Jung-hye immediately led the independent ability users.
"It is no longer time to endure! Let's storm the Association right now and get a clear answer about the current situation!"
The timing was when the Dragon King Team was battling the Epsilon, just as the Association President's announcement had begun. The excited protesters finally crossed the barbed wire and began to advance toward the Association. The citizens had turned into rioters, using their abilities.
"Advance, advance!"
"Today is the day we drive out the incompetent Association!"
The final timing when information delivery was not perfectly achieved. Piercing that gap, the independent ability users and the Villain Union began to move.
I infiltrated the airspace above the Association with my elite subordinates on an airship. Looking down, the protesters, including independent ability users, were rioting and entering the Association building. It had only been 10 minutes since I gave the order, and the reaction was fast. It seems Lee Jung-hye has perfect control over the Resistance. Her leadership is certainly useful.
"Let's infiltrate."
"Everyone, prepare!"
At my command, Lua signaled the subordinates. We weren't wearing our usual villain suits, but ordinary work clothes, and we jumped from the airship, which was operating optical camouflage. We mixed in with the protesters and entered the Association building. Heroes and security guards were trying to suppress the protesters, but they couldn't act very aggressively. That was natural. These were, after all, ordinary citizens. They couldn't take lives, and they couldn't inflict serious injuries. Because they were the subjects heroes had to protect. Also, because ability users and ordinary people were mixed, the heroes were confused about whom they could use their abilities against. Using abilities against ordinary people was out of the question. It was a hero's taboo.
"Next, this way."
Led by Lua, we ran quickly. There were six of us. Elites trained separately for this operation. Everyone knew the structure inside the Association building like the back of their hand.
"Boss, shall we do it?" Illusion asked, tossing her curly blonde hair, and I nodded. She generated a clone and overlaid it onto Lua. We bypassed the lower floors where the protesters were running wild and went up to the upper floors with high security levels.
"Hey, you can't pass from here! You won't get legal protection even if you're shot dead!" Heavily armed security guards pointed their guns and warned us. Lua stepped forward in front of them.
"Move aside."
"Huh. Green Nature?"
The security guards pointed their muzzles upward. Lua was currently wearing Choi Min-seo's skin, which Illusion had applied. However, because the distance was close, a noise-flickering effect could be seen, so the other four surrounded her as if escorting her. Lua touched the access card to the lock. A green light turned on immediately, and access was granted. It was an item made with DNA data collected from Choi Min-seo.
"No problem, right?"
"Y-yes, yes..."
The security guards stepped back, and we leisurely went up to the upper floors. Past several more security zones to the S-Class Hero Zone. It was the very place where I had worked for three years. I arrived there and ordered my subordinates.
"You five, as planned, steal Green Nature's mecha and escape from here."
The subordinates answered. "Hehe. It's time to party."
Illusion squatted down and activated her ability. Ten clones in the image of Choi Min-seo were created on the spot and began to run out in all directions of the hallway. With this, we distract them and strike the gap.
"Zeo, be careful."
Lua tapped my arm. I lightly stroked her head, turned my body, and ran to my destination. The Association President's office. I had to crush this woman while the Dragon King Team was away. If those three were there, I might end up killing everyone, which would complicate things. I entered the Association President's office using Choi Min-seo's height. After finishing the announcement of the new grading system and hearing the news of the riot, she must have been terrified and locked herself in the room. Thinking of this woman's personality, it was easy to predict her behavioral pattern. Since the Dragon King Team wasn't there, it was certain. They were in Busan. It would take more than 30 minutes for them to return after the battle with the Epsilon. That was enough.
"Uh, Min-seo?! Where did you go and why are you appearing now! You have no idea how much I searched... Huh?"
The Association President, who was in the room, stood up from a flashy table, felt something strange, and stopped. As the clone was dispelled and I revealed myself, the Association President stepped back.
"That, Jung Eui-seok."
"Yes, it's me."
I approached the Association President with long strides. As she hurriedly tried to press the emergency call switch, I lightly shot white energy and blew it up.
"Wait a minute, Eui-seok. Let's talk. Okay?"
"There was no need for talk. You just had to play the role of an incompetent person in that seat. But this crossed the line."
I grabbed the Association President's head and slammed it onto the table.
"Thanks to your application of the grading system, the S-Team War has begun. We're busy enough subduing the Galactic Empire, but now heroes are going to waste resources among themselves. You'll have to take responsibility."
"Argh! W-what are you talking about! I don't know anything about that! S-Team War?"
"It means hero teams from all over the world are going to war over the S-Team title."
"Wh-what?! Th-then what should I do."
"Return the Dragon King Team's S-Team title and transfer the authority of the Seoul Hero Association. Otherwise, Seoul will be destroyed."
For now, that was the best. The third scenario was truly a civil war. A war caused by the greed of heroes. In that process, a Deleter to suppress heroes was developed, and as the Deleter was stolen by villains, the world fell into chaos. The place that became the background for that was the city where the Hero Association to which the S-Team belonged was located. In other words, currently, it was Seoul. Changing that to another region and intervening in the middle was the best development for me.
"D-don't talk nonsense! Among all the hero associations in the world, Seoul is the best! Making the Dragon King Team an S-Team was my skill! It's an achievement I created!"
I knew she would say that. Let's check if she can keep blabbering even if I pull out her tongue.