Your True Heart (1)

Arguably the greatest crisis of Peerless's hero career. Yet even in this dire moment, she was desperately searching for a way out. Not to merely survive, but to achieve the best possible outcome. No matter how many times she racked her brain, victory seemed impossible. Escaping this situation together was simply out of the question.

Peerless made her decision without hesitation.

'Then... at least save the student...!'

Her body was already a battered mess, but she could buy a little time. Reinforcements were truly just moments away now. If she threw herself into the fray, she could save Psyche.

With her resolve hardened, Peerless was about to assume a battle stance when someone's shadow stepped in front of her first.

"Ah, looks like you still haven't learned after I beat you up earlier."

Psyche stepped forward, shielding Peerless as she snapped at the villain. It sounded a bit awkward at first glance, but her resolute determination came through loud and clear.

"D-Do you really think you can take on both of us alone right now?"

'What?'

Something felt off about Han Sua's words, prompting Peerless to scrutinize the villain once more. And that's when it hit her—something she'd overlooked in her panic finally came into focus.

Just as Psyche had pointed out, the suit of the villain calling himself Marionette was torn and shattered in places.

'He must've already fought Psyche before coming here...?'

Peerless couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration.

'He was using a manipulation-type Authority, right...? That might make him vulnerable in close-quarters combat...!'

Of course, she'd assumed his potential was off the charts, but Psyche was still just a student and prospective hero, hovering at C-rank. Yet she'd not only taken on half of the Half Moon gang by herself but even landed a hit on this monstrous S-rank villain who treated Stingray like a pawn.

"Guh..."

The villain ground his teeth in frustration, unable to retort—a confirmation in itself.

Hope flickered back to life on Peerless's face.

The tense standoff continued briefly. Then, faintly in the distance, the wail of emergency sirens reached their ears. The backup from the other agency she'd been praying for.

'We're saved...!'

Peerless finally let out a sigh of relief. The villain seemed to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sense it too, freezing as he stared in the direction of the sound.

"...Tch, ends here, huh."

Turning back, Marionette's voice dripped with clear regret. He spat a vicious curse at the two of them.

"Don't think this is the end. I'll pay back today's debt someday, mark my words."

His declaration sent chills down their spines, raising goosebumps. And this monster had more than enough power to make it happen. His words weren't empty threats—they were a death sentence, heavy and terrifying.

But Psyche responded once again with her awkward yet defiant voice.

"T-Try it... I'll stop you again...!"

Her courage was admirable, but her inexperience showed; she wasn't yet used to villain mind games.

"..."

The villain fell silent. He glared at them a moment longer, then turned and vanished into the smoke.

The area fell quiet. All that remained were two heroes and the corpse of a villain with a crushed skull.

A few minutes later, heroes from the nearby agency arrived.

"Two injured found! Identified as Hero Peerless and Psyche!"

"Check their conditions and prep for hospital transport! The rest of you, scour the area thoroughly! Don't let a single one escape—treat it like your life depends on it!"

The unprecedented incident—the raid on a field training site—had finally drawn to a close.

I limped along, my suit already reverted to bracelet form. And just as I was about to step back into the building...

"Cough, cough...!"

I couldn't hold it in anymore—a gush of blood erupted from my mouth.

"Cough... damn, Han Sua. How hard did you hit me?"

I couldn't help but complain. 'Hit me first.' No wonder her face looked so damn satisfied earlier. And it wasn't even under hypnosis—just a request. Did she have some grudge built up? Well, that spit of blood wasn't entirely her fault, anyway.

The alert chimed. Thanks to using my Authority to kill quite a few villains, Thirst had dropped, but Body Degradation had spiked dramatically. The blood I spat up was probably from that. I'd pushed way too hard. Before, it was once every few days against small fry, but today I'd taken on powerhouses back-to-back. Including an A-rank villain, the Baron.

Pre-regression, he'd been part of Stingray's Half Moon crew, committing atrocities right up to the apocalypse. Even then, if Han Sua hadn't weakened him with her desperate fight, my hypnosis never would've landed.

Alerts for proficiency gains piled up. At this rate, maybe someday hypnosis would work on a healthy A-rank, even S-rank villain.

Anyway, alibis were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠solid on both sides. Ordinary citizen and student Kim Woojin had pissed off the villains, gotten dragged out, beaten, and injured. And villain Marionette, who'd recruited Stingray and stormed in, clashed with Psyche, took an unexpected hit, and retreated.

Overexertion hit hard—my vision blurred. I collapsed right there, unable to go further.

Then, softly, I murmured a name that surfaced in my mind.

"Han Sua..."

This incident wrapped up perfectly thanks to her. Especially her solo stand against the villains earlier—it was pure hero material. Something no pre-regression newspaper blurb could've captured.

In the end, she'd been struggling hard too. To break free from her destined shackles.

Though pre-regression she'd shouldered all the infamy, this time she'd claimed the hero identity she always wanted.

I smiled. Relieved. That Han Sua was a hero, not a villain. And that I'd saved her.

That earlier performance was my gift. An unprecedented raid on an A-rank hero agency's training—a massive scandal.

Today's events would blow up big. The true culprit, Marionette, would draw even more scrutiny from the Hero Management Bureau as an atrocious monster.

And naturally, Han Sua—who'd thwarted Marionette's plot and even landed a blow—would see her fame soar. As a hero, not a villain.

Well, Marionette was fated to become Flame Mist's archenemy anyway... but this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠should be fine.

"Haa..."

A satisfied sigh escaped me. I'd altered another future branch. Saved Han Sua, cleared her name. Preserved hero forces intact while instilling real fear of villains.

And I'd claimed all the infamy from this raid. Hwaryeon, the original mastermind, must feel like a dog that lost the chicken.

The guy at the Bureau probably too. Conclusion? Another perfect wrap-up.

My vision spun. Consciousness faded amid the growing haze, pierced only by a familiar ding.

Perfect. I smiled in satisfaction as the world went dark.

In some dingy room somewhere, a man and woman huddled together as one. The man's dazed eyes, gently stroking the woman's hair, held not a spark of life.

I recognized his face instantly. Of course... it was me.

"...Woojin. My memories are gone again."

The woman burrowed into my arms, mumbling to herself. Identifying her was just as easy. The mastermind who'd bound me and turned the world into hell. Pre-regression, one of the great evils—Marionette. A name I could never forget, even in dreams.

"I must've had family, friends... surely... but I can't remember anything..."

"..."

No response came. I just blankly held Marionette, brushing her hair like a doll.

She looked up at me slightly and whispered in a tearful voice.

"Sorry, I was wrong. But I had no choice. You're all I have left..."

"..."

"Y-Yeah, it's your fault. If I don't do this, you'll leave me..."

She seemed almost kind here—probably shortly after turning me into her puppet. She still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had faint traces of gentleness back then. Maybe once or twice a year, from what I recalled.

Memory loss was a side effect of her superhuman surgery. Without a cure, it worsened until she fully snapped.

"I wish we could've met differently. Then maybe we could've gotten along better..."

Marionette murmured, looking up at me before burrowing deeper into my embrace. She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth.

"If... I'd met you before that... we could've..."

She said.

And I woke from the dream.

"Gasp...!"