The Fall of the Silver Mirror
"Make sure the hostages are kept under tight control."
"I know. This one's ability comes from his palms, so cut his hands off. This one has telepathy? That's annoying, so I'll just knock him out."
Screams erupted as Irua handled the hostages she had bound. Among the subordinate villains, some seemed dissatisfied that Irua was the second-in-command, but after witnessing her skills, they seemed to accept it. Here are Irua's current stats:
Her ability is Level 4, and her stats are quite substantial as well. I am hiding among the other subordinate villains, wearing a mass-produced mask just like them. For the time being, I intend to keep Irua at the forefront as the leader.
"Do you have any complaints about this terror attack, Emma?" I asked Emma, who was also disguised as a common villain. She bowed her head to me without a moment's hesitation.
"No. My Master's will is my own."
"Even though I, who used to be a guardian of justice, am now leading villains to commit acts of terror?"
"I have no doubt that you are doing this for the sake of world peace, Master."
There was no wavering in her voice. So, I wasn't completely devoid of good fortune when it came to people. I felt grateful to her.
"Boss, they're coming," a sharp-witted subordinate reported. I turned my head. In the distance, a silver dragon-shaped mecha was flying toward us. The protagonist of the party has arrived. I need to prepare to welcome her.
"Fearless bastards." Shin Yu-kyung tucked the Excalibur switch into her pocket and moved immediately.
"Shin Yu-kyung! Are you planning to go alone?"
"It might be dangerous! Just in case, maybe the Dragon King Squadron should go together..."
"Thanks, Se-hwa, Min-seo. But this involves my crew. I have to handle this much on my own."
Shin Yu-kyung flashed a confident, cool smile and headed to the launch room.
"Well, the Dark Kingdom is gone now, so what great villains could there be?"
"That's true. It looks like... most of them are new-face villains."
"Heh. That just means they're small fry, right? I wasted my time worrying."
"But to take all of Yu-kyung's crew members hostage..."
"They said they were in the middle of a party, so they must have let their guard down, right?"
"I suppose so."
Shin Yu-kyung quickened her pace, surrendering her body to the surge of noradrenaline. Bastards. I'll cut your throats right now. How dare you touch my subordinates. You even called me out alone? You've lost your minds. I'll make you shark bait without even a coffin.
Shin Yu-kyung boarded her partner mecha and headed for the destination. A mecha with specs several times higher than the latest fighter jets, capable of space travel. It easily surpassed the speed of sound. She reached the sea off Incheon from Seocho, where the association headquarters was located, in an instant.
Upon reaching the destination, Shin Yu-kyung slowed down and opened the cockpit. There were groups of villains on the cruise ship deck. About thirty subordinates wearing masks. The hostages, her crew members, seemed to be inside the cabin. She didn't like the way the woman with long black hair, who appeared to be the leader, stood with such dignity. She was also wearing a mask, so her face was invisible.
"Silver Mirrored! Silver Mirrored has arrived! We are broadcasting live from the sea off Incheon!"
She looked around. Several news helicopters had arrived. 'The media is already here. I can't fight messily.' As an S-rank squadron member, image management and character making were essential. That was why Ji Se-hwa always said it was a living hell whenever the media showed up. Shin Yu-kyung didn't particularly like the act of talking about justice, but she didn't hate it either. Though, overdoing it like Red or Jung Ui-seok wasn't really her style. She had a professional sense that she had to live up to the public's expectations to some extent.
"I came alone as you demanded. What do you want? Money?" Shin Yu-kyung asked through the speaker. The leader woman just flicked her fingers without answering. A provocation? Shin Yu-kyung was confident. There wouldn't be a villain anywhere in the world who could stand against her now.
Shin Yu-kyung jumped out of the mecha and landed on the deck. Thud! It was a perfect hero landing that could be featured in a textbook. Shin Yu-kyung lifted her head and glared at the evil enemy.
"Do you want my life?"
"Yes." The enemy boss finally opened her mouth. She spread her arms. Ominous black matter rose above them. "We are Vengeance. I am the leader, Dark Matter. The one who kills heroes."
"Hmph. You weak and cowardly bastards. You want to kill me to gain notoriety, but since you can't take on the entire Dragon King Squadron, you took hostages to create a one-on-one situation? Aren't you ashamed?" Shin Yu-kyung felt phlegm boil in her throat because Dark Matter was so contemptible. "If you're even a little ashamed of your own cowardice, promise me, Dark Matter. If you lose to me, guarantee the safety of my crew members."
"Fine. Not that it will happen."
Cowardly bastards. Shin Yu-kyung had no intention of trusting them. She planned to find an opening to kill Dark Matter and use her ability to locate and rescue her crew members.
"Instead, I'll make one promise too."
"What?"
"If I win, I'll kill all your crew members."
"Hmph. That won't happen either. Let's begin."
Shin Yu-kyung raised the changer on her left arm. In her right hand, she held a bright-colored switch with a silver dragon engraved on it. She pressed the left button firmly.
AO'GUANG!
The switch sparkled along with the voice. Shin Yu-kyung inserted the switch into the changer with a restrained pose.
"Transform!"
[On your way!] [Here comes the Dragon Lord!]
Light enveloped Shin Yu-kyung, and a silver dragon popped out, opening its mouth as if to swallow her. The helmet was equipped. The next moment, Silver Mirrored, the hero of the Dragon King Squadron, stood there.
"What a load of crap." Dark Matter left a short comment and fired the dark matter from her hand. Black lightning of rapid speed.
"Hup!" Shin Yu-kyung swung the mechanical staff she had suddenly grasped and swatted them away. The movements of a seasoned martial arts master. The staff lengthened in an instant and shot toward Dark Matter. Dark Matter jumped, firing matter at the floor to use the recoil. Shin Yu-kyung took that opportunity to form a seal with her hands. She intended to end it in an instant.
"Moonlight Mirror!"
Mirrors were generated along the trajectory of an ellipse centered on Shin Yu-kyung and Dark Matter. Suddenly, Silver Mirrored was reflected in every mirror. Dark Matter turned her head. No matter where she looked, it was the same appearance.
"Haa!" Shin Yu-kyung popped out of a mirror and attacked Dark Matter. Once a blow landed, she went back into a mirror.
"Ugh...!" Blood welled up at the corner of Dark Matter's mouth. Shin Yu-kyung continued her attacks without giving her an opening. Dark Matter tried to defend with dark matter, but it wasn't easy.
"Did you underestimate me? You kill heroes?" Shin Yu-kyung increased her attack speed.
"Of course heroes get hurt too. They die eventually. But not by you. Justice does not die to a vile, base evil that doesn't even know its own level!"
Shouting that, Shin Yu-kyung increased her output. It was time to finish it. The energy of the silver dragon, Ao'guang, permeated her hand.
"Take this, my justice!"
"Puhaha."
For a moment, Shin Yu-kyung heard it. It wasn't Dark Matter. It was the sound of someone laughing at her. Who was it? But before she could even think about it—
Clang!!
All her mirrors shattered.
"What...?!"
At the same time, crackle! Dark Matter's matter stuck to Shin Yu-kyung's limbs, bending her joints at impossible angles.
"Ugh!"
Pain surged. Before she could even create distance, Dark Matter's next attack came. Shin Yu-kyung, hit squarely in the face, was sent flying ungracefully. The helmet's visor shattered, and blood flowed.
"Damn it!"
Shin Yu-kyung snapped her bent joints back into place. She faced Dark Matter. 'How did she do it? She broke the Moonlight Mirror. That's impossible. Was she hiding her strength? Why would she have a reason to do that? No, it could be an ability that requires it.'
Shin Yu-kyung thought desperately. Grasping the enemy's ability. She had forgotten, even though he had taught her so much before that it was the first thing to do in battle. 'That black matter. It's not a simple natural ability. Then is it matter that absorbs power? So she was intentionally taking the attacks? Then is her power now... surpassing mine?'
Anxiety gripped Shin Yu-kyung. 'Damn it. I was complacent. I should have killed her in one blow. With a stronger, irresistible blow.'
A thought crossed Shin Yu-kyung's mind. The switch in her pocket. Shin Yu-kyung took it out. 'Excalibur.' With this, she could slaughter that woman's body in one go. She had seen the power firsthand when Jung Ui-seok used it. This couldn't be absorbed. 'Justice is on my side after all.'
Click!
Convinced, Shin Yu-kyung attached the Excalibur switch to her changer without hesitation.
"Don't laugh at me!"
Shin Yu-kyung pressed the Excalibur and Ao'guang switches firmly. She rotated the upper dial.
EXCALIBUR! — Include! AO'GUANG!
'I'll end it with this.' The moment she expected the power of a finishing blow—
"Ah— Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh?!"
From her heart to every marrow of her bones. A pain like sharp swords stabbing her entire body from the inside covered her brain. Shin Yu-kyung's body began to thrash as if electrocuted, writhing in agony.
"Why, why, why on earth— Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!!"
Experiencing an incomprehensible, hellish pain, Shin Yu-kyung collapsed on the spot, spewing blood from every orifice of her body.
"If Shin Yu-kyung uses the mirror, let her hit you."
"Why?" Irua asked, questioning my plan.
"What do you think your dark matter's ability is?"
"Hmm... magnetic field generation and gravity manipulation?"
"That's not all. You took my memories and emotions."
"Ah, right."
"Your dark matter can influence human emotions."
"Even emotions?"
"Yes. Shin Yu-kyung will launch a barrage of attacks along with the mirrors. During that time, use your dark matter to plant emotions in her body. 'Anxiety', 'nervousness', 'impatience'."
"Then what happens?"
"She will self-destruct."
I had told Irua that during training. And she pulled it off brilliantly. In any case, it was something that could only be done if their specs were evenly matched. Shin Yu-kyung's demerit caused by the souls of her colleagues and Irua's growth rate meshed well. On top of that, Irua has excellent combat sense. She's a good talent.
"Hey."
At my signal, one of the subordinates moved. I approached the fallen Shin Yu-kyung. Due to the recoil of Excalibur, her transformation had been undone. Her entire body was covered in blood. Fear was etched onto that expressionless face. I wanted to see this, Yu-kyung.
"I won," Irua declared, approaching my side and looking down at Shin Yu-kyung.
"W-wait... J-Jung Ui-seok used it... why, am I..."
"You have to keep your promise, right?"
The subordinate dragged one of the hostages over. I grabbed the hero by the hair and pulled a knife from my pocket.
"No... don't..."
To the muttering Shin Yu-kyung, I asked:
"Then will you die in their place, Silver? If you offer your life, I'll spare twenty people."