Clash (4)
Ma Cheol-hui, a senior officer of the Dark Alliance who had been watching the situation from the top of the truck, gaped in disbelief.
“...W-What the hell is this?”
At first, everything had gone smoothly.
The moment a hundred villains were thrown into the fray, the firefighters had been driven back helplessly.
North to south.
The firefighters who had gathered on the grass lawn were forced into retreat without a chance to catch their breath.
Then, all at once, monsters had dropped from the sky, and the tide had turned.
Wyvern?
This was a world where monsters appeared all the time, so there was nothing strange about that by itself.
But still.
Why the hell are they only attacking our side?
The wyvern had started by turning ten villains to ash, then neatly wiped out even the snipers positioned on the rooftop of the building.
It was almost as if the wyvern had taken the firefighters’ side.
No. That’s not it.
Looking closer, it was obvious the wyvern wasn’t acting of its own free will.
Someone was riding on its back, and it was faithfully obeying the commands of the man in the purple suit and mask.
Purple Devil...?
He had heard the name before.
There had been rumors within the Dark Alliance that Purple Devil was some villain from another faction.
But a rumor was just a rumor.
It was completely wrong.
That bastard...
Whatever faction he belonged to, today every villain in South Korea was of one mind.
The firefighters had to lose.
Only then could the status quo be maintained.
That guy’s not a villain.
A villain would have no reason to show up here and interfere like this.
Then what the hell is he?
Ma Cheol-hui hurriedly shook his head.
This was no time to be wondering who the bastard was.
“Kraaagh!”
“Guhk!”
Every time Purple Devil swung his gleaming white longsword, villains collapsed like autumn leaves in a storm.
Ma Cheol-hui ground his teeth.
The hundred villains deployed to the assembly were not some random rabble.
They were an elite unit handpicked by the Dark Alliance, even if their ranks were low.
The selection criteria had been variety.
Gunners, black mages, poison users, monks specialized in martial arts.
If villains with all manner of specialties ran wild, of course the firefighters wouldn’t know which way was up.
Even if there were a few strong ones mixed in among them.
There’s no way they can win.
Not unless an S-class hunter showed up.
Purple Devil had no trouble taking on a hundred villains by himself.
No—if anything.
He’s overwhelming them.
If Ma Cheol-hui were in his place, could he take on a hundred Awakened?
“Hah! What’s there not to do?”
He was an S-rank villain too.
He was more than confident.
But to face a hundred Awakened with different abilities, one needed a wealth of experience.
It wasn’t enough to be strong. You couldn’t just recklessly charge in.
This was definitely planned.
Purple Devil’s confident demeanor seemed to say exactly that.
No matter what you do, I will win.
“Tch. Arrogant bastard!”
Ma Cheol-hui was seasoned enough to be used to all kinds of brawls between villains.
That was why he knew very well that a gang fight was a battle of momentum.
The moment they took a preemptive strike from a wyvern, they had already lost the initiative.
To reverse the battlefield now would take twice the effort.
No helping it.
His role was to command the hundred villains who had been deployed.
I’ll have to step in myself.
Bang!
When Ma Cheol-hui stamped his foot once, the roof of the truck caved in like paper.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The scent of death was thick in the air.
The ones who had fallen were already dead, or soon would be, as they drifted toward the yellow springs with their lives all but severed.
Blood and flesh flew everywhere.
At last, all hundred Dark Alliance villains had fallen.
Standing tall in the center was one man only.
Me.
“Hoo.”
I caught my breath and flicked the blood off Heoksikdo.
The blood of evildoers scattered across the asphalt.
“Ugh...”
Someone groaned as they crawled along the ground.
A familiar face came into view.
Gu Ja-min.
Gu Ja-min lifted his bloodied face with visible effort.
I slid Heoksikdo back into the scabbard at my waist and reached a hand out to him.
“...Ah,”
Gu Ja-min, still dazed, slowly hauled himself upright.
“Uh... excuse me... were you a firefighter? You look familiar somehow.”
We had met before, but since I was wearing a mask, he couldn’t seem to recognize me.
“My wife’s actually in the hospital today. She’s about to give birth, so I really shouldn’t be here. I need to go soon. But I can’t just abandon my comrades and leave, either...”
Gu Ja-min kept talking.
He rambled on for a long while, still unable to gather himself.
His body was too battered from the beating, and the shock had probably rattled his mind as well.
“Ah, sorry, I’m late with the thanks. Thank you, seriously. That was incredible! You cleared out all those villains by yourself. You’re like some hero out of a comic book. Oh, sorry. I talk too much, don’t I? I’m a little spacey, so...”
“Hey.”
I cut him off and put a hand on his shoulder.
“You did well.”
When Gu Ja-min had been admitted to the hospital after being attacked by villains at Red Moon, one media outlet had requested an interview with him.
“The firefighters’ anger toward the police is burning hot right now. What do you think, Mr. Gu Ja-min?”
In response to the reporter’s question, Gu Ja-min had said this:
“Um... I just hope everyone can be a little more generous with one another. Whether you’re a police officer or a firefighter, everyone’s struggling out there on the front lines. I hope people can show a little tolerance.”
Gu Ja-min, with a bandage wrapped around his forehead and a bright smile on his face, had been broadcast nationwide.
Ironically, though, the firefighters who saw that image had risen up in outrage.
Seeing the state Gu Ja-min had been left in, they had drawn blades of revenge instead of tolerance.
Afterward, Gu Ja-min gathered himself and gave a brave speech during the Police-Fire War.
I could feel the warmth of his palm against mine.
“If it hadn’t been for you, the firefighters never would have united as one.”
Gu Ja-min’s shoulders trembled.
“You’re the real hero.”
At my words, Gu Ja-min lowered his head.
Tears like chickpeas fell, one after another.
He was crying hard.
Before I could get lost in sentiment, a crackling voice rang out from the microphone.
“All units, listen up. We police are not retreating here.”
The police commander stiffened his line.
“The support team will arrive soon, so the remaining forces are to hold the rear!”
The riot police all moved south at once.
Did I underestimate them?
I had taken care of a hundred villains, but the enemy was far from broken.
Like a lizard that kept wriggling even after its tail had been cut off.
We need to cut off the head.
Who was the head?
While I was thinking it over, some bastard emerged through the billowing smoke and stood before me.
“You’re Purple Devil?”
He had slicked-back hair and a butterfly tattoo in the center of his forehead.
On his shoulder perched a crow-like monster with a long, curved beak.
“I’m Ma Cheol-hui. I’m an officer of the Gyeonggi branch of the Dark Alliance.”
Ma Cheol-hui barked at the police commander.
“What are you idiots doing? You planning to toss a nearly finished meal straight into the sewage? I’ll handle this one!”
The brief lull shattered as the riot police surged forward again.
Momentum had shifted, sure.
But there were still thousands of troops on the other side.
Should I take Ma Cheol-hui one-on-one?
Or should I join the firefighters and protect them?
While I was still deciding,
“Hey.”
Sombang Jeonggam Han Jong-il called to me.
“Thank you for lending us your strength. We’ll handle the rest ourselves.”
Han Jong-il drew in a deep breath and raised his voice.
“From this moment on, we support Purple Devil! Do not let them through, no matter what!”
“YEAH!!!”
The roar echoed across Gwanghwamun.
“Just keep moving forward. Trust the firefighters.”
Han Jong-il looked straight at me as he spoke.
“Put your back in our hands.”
Han Jong-il, and the firefighters around him.
Their eyes were burning.
Every single one of them was looking at me with fierce, unwavering trust.
My throat tightened, and before I knew it, my heart felt warm.
Lee Ji-jun spoke to me.
“Choi Yongki. I want to be like you. I want to be strong like you, and I want to get along with people the way you do.”
That was wrong.
In my previous life, I had never gotten along with people.
Back then, I hadn’t trusted anyone.
My father had abandoned me.
My grandmother had died suddenly.
Cut off from my younger brother, I lived alone in the dark.
I had no friends, no comrades.
I never said it out loud, but I had always been lonely.
Only after I opened the door to my heart and began living a new life did I finally understand.
The reason I had wanted to become a hero.
I wanted to be together with people.
They trusted me.
They were asking me to leave my back to them.
A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth beneath the mask.
“That’s reassuring.”
I kicked off the ground and charged straight at Ma Cheol-hui.
“Beep beep.”
At the perfect moment, Peepee understood my intent and appeared overhead.
Peepee opened its mouth wide and breathed fire down on Ma Cheol-hui’s head.
Ma Cheol-hui lifted one shoulder casually.
“A flying lizard’s your sidekick? Cute.”
The crow flapped upward, spread its wings, and spun its body around.
The pillar of fire scattered left and right, weakening the force of the flames.
“Kaaaw!”
The crow fired black feathers like throwing knives.
“Guh!”
As feathers pierced my body in several places, Peepee staggered in pain.
“Peepee!”
But it quickly steadied itself.
“I’m fine, Master! A dragon wouldn’t lose to some crow!”
The wyvern and the crow slashed through the air, colliding in a racket of wings and fury.
Ma Cheol-hui took a step forward.
“Let the pets play among themselves. You and I should have some fun.”
When Ma Cheol-hui reached down to the ground, a long scythe rose out of a black pool.
It was obviously no ordinary weapon.
There were ancient characters carved into the hilt...
A relic weapon.
Ma Cheol-hui, gripping it tightly, began to chant.
“Friends of the earth, help me punish the one who defies me!”
Rumble—
As soon as he finished the incantation, the ground trembled like an earthquake had struck.
The asphalt shattered, and monsters began to emerge through the cracks.
Protruding front teeth.
Sharp claws.
They were mole-type monsters called Wild Moles.
The mole monsters that had burrowed up from underground gathered around Ma Cheol-hui.
If I’m being honest.
My heart was pounding.
Not because I was afraid.
Not because I wanted to run away.
I’m excited.
The hundred villains had been disappointing.
I wanted more...
Only when I faced a stronger enemy did the tension finally rise.
Yeah. Maybe I really was enjoying this hero life.
Judging evil with my own hands.
Moving according to my own convictions.
Steering the direction of my life however I wanted, and feeling alive because of it.
I snorted and said,
“You said we’d have some good times together.”
“They’re one with me. You can’t separate us. Why don’t you call your friends too?”
“No need. Let’s all play together.”
Of all things, a druid had shown up.
Well, among those hundred villains, there had been all kinds of bastards, not just druids.
At least ten monsters stood in front of Ma Cheol-hui.
I was alone.
Lonely and isolated, you ask?
Not a chance.
“Wooooah!!”
“Let’s finish this!”
Behind me, countless firefighters were fighting with everything they had.
I slowly drew Heoksikdo.
“You said you were an officer of the Dark Alliance, right?”
“Yeah. So what?”
Ma Cheol-hui wore a smug grin.
There was something Na Sang-min always emphasized.
“Winning before the fight even starts is what matters. That’s psychological warfare.”
I gripped Heoksikdo and took my stance.
“Do you know a woman named Byun Eun-sa?”
“...What?”
Ma Cheol-hui’s expression hardened.
“That bitch told me her boyfriend was an officer of the Dark Alliance. I was wondering if that might’ve been you.”
“Y-You fucking bastard...”
“So it was you.”
“You... you’re not saying...”
I threw the final blow into his face.
“Yeah. I killed him.”
Ma Cheol-hui’s face twisted red and blue with fury.
“I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you right now!!!”
In the blink of an eye, a swarm of wild moles burst from the ground.
They clutched their weapons and lunged straight at me.