Chapter 4 - Climax

A show must be meticulously planned.

That's why the terror I orchestrated this time was, from the very beginning, a grand show with every detail carefully arranged.

Since falling into this world, I've had only one goal.

Stardus, my favorite character who was slandered and persecuted in the original work.

To ensure she walks only on a flower path.

That's why my terror was planned from the start to fail at Stardus's hands.

In fact, even the detonators were fake. Did you really think I'd actually kill people? If I did that, Stardus would be sad. I'm doing all this to raise her up and prevent future disasters to save people—what would be the point of killing anyone?

Anyway, thanks to my efforts, the show was finally reaching its climax.

The passengers on the boats who all survived through faith without pressing the button, and the villain panicking at the unexpected turn of events.

...Actually, if anyone had pressed the button, I would've had to go with Plan B, but fortunately no one did, which was a relief. As expected, Stardus's speeches really move people's hearts. This was content that appeared later in the original work, so I included it knowing she excelled at speeches.

Anyway, it was time to focus on my acting again.

With a flustered look in my eyes, I began to speak once more.

"...This can't be, this can't be happening!"

On the rooftop where the cold wind blew.

I looked at Stardus from above, laughing emptily while my hands trembled as I shouted toward her.

"Humans, humans aren't this altruistic. I was certain at least one person would press the button, but why...!"

As I said this.

As if realizing something, I paused for a moment before looking at her and muttering.

"...Ah."

"It was because of you."

Having said that much, I began to subtly praise her like those 'third-rate villains who seem to curse the protagonist but are actually complimenting them when you think about it.'

"After hearing your speech, everyone suddenly united... Haha. Hahahaha!"

Before continuing, I had to laugh like a madman.

...Doing this in front of a camera while completely sober was quite embarrassing, but I somehow continued with method acting.

Glancing over, I saw Stardus looking at me like I was insane... Sigh. Do you know what it feels like to have your favorite character look at you with contempt? It hurt my heart.

Still, fortunately she wasn't rushing at me yet because of the detonator still in my hand. Until everyone on the boats disembarked, she couldn't let her guard down either.

"That's right. It seems I underestimated you. I never imagined that with a simple speech alone, you could enlighten so many people in an instant... Haha. Miss Stardus. You really are a more interesting person the more I see of you."

...Having said that much, I realized it was about time to leave.

Right. I'd raised my recognition, promoted Stardus, and successfully completed the terror.

Now I just need to escape and it's over. When you're a villain, you escape at the last moment, obviously.

I threw her the typical villain's final farewell.

"Next time, I won't be defeated so easily. Well then, see you next time, everyone!"

"You bastard...!"

Noticing my escape and rushing toward me, I smiled brightly at both Stardus and the camera.

Then I wrapped the cape behind me around my body and prepared to disappear along with the devices I'd brought using teleportation. The area would be crawling with police, so I'd go straight to my place.

...Ah. But thinking about it, if I teleport this distance, I'll have to lie bedridden for about three days. This is bad.

Sigh. Life isn't easy.

With that thought.

My body disappeared from that place.

At the same time, the broadcast cut off.

And that finally signaled the end of the terror that had shaken South Korea throughout the day.

***

[Midday Terror That Set the Peninsula Ablaze—No Casualties.]

[Who is A-Rank Villain 'Egostic'? In-Depth Coverage.]

[[Breaking] Hero Association Statement: 'Villain's Abilities Appear to Be Telekinesis and Teleportation.']

[Broadcast Hijacking in These Times... Is Korean Broadcasting Security Really Okay?]

[Who is the Hero 'Stardus' Targeted by the Broadcast-Hijacking Villain Seen by All Citizens? Let's Look at Her Achievements.]

[[Exclusive] Interview with Citizen on Terror Site Boat: 'We Survived Because We Trusted Each Other.' Tears...]

On the day of Egostic's terror, articles poured out across the nation like bamboo shoots after rain.

The extraordinary appearing in the everyday.

Unlike other terror incidents that targeted specific areas or specific individuals, this terror was broadcast to all citizens nationwide, making it vastly different from other attacks.

In other words, it drew an enormous amount of aggro.

Within a day, all citizens knew about this incident, and the villain Egostic who orchestrated it and the hero Stardus who opposed him instantly became the center of attention.

It was a large-scale incident that drew attention not only in Korea but from foreign press as well.

The Korean Hero Association announced that 'thanks to A-Rank Hero Stardus's efforts, the terror was concluded with zero casualties' and praised her, with all press releases following suit.

The full video of the terror reached number one in YouTube real-time views—it was a sensational incident.

Already, countless posts analyzing and summarizing the villain Egostic were beginning to pour out everywhere.

And naturally, among those analyzing him was the Korean Paranormal Ability Association.

***

"Well then, let's begin the briefing."

Korean Hero Association.

On the top floor of that building, a meeting was being held.

"Yes. The newly appeared villain who gave his name as Egostic. Gender is male, presumed to be Korean, appearing to be in his early to mid-twenties."

The man standing at the front of the conference room was presenting a summary of the incident to everyone.

"His identity and residence are currently unknown, but given that all the incidents he's caused have been concentrated in Seoul, there's a very high probability he resides in Seoul. And as for the suspect's appearance... please refer to the materials in front of you."

The materials distributed to meeting attendees contained front and side shots of him.

His appearance, unified in black from head to toe.

A black robe like a long coat, wearing a black cape.

And a mask covering half his face. Despite only covering half, it was difficult to clearly identify his face, which was noted in the caption below the photo as presumably having recognition interference capabilities.

"Before this terror, he directly killed two people. An A-Rank and an S-Rank villain. Both appear to have been killed with telekinesis and a gun, and since there are no other external injuries anywhere, we're speculating it was an ambush. The telekinesis itself appears to be weak based on what's been revealed so far."

Having explained the basic personal information about Egostic, the presenter moistened his throat before moving on to the core topic.

"Yes. While these two villains are the only people Egostic has directly killed... judging by the large-scale terror that occurred today, it appears he intends to massacre ordinary citizens as well."

When the briefer reached that point, a heavy silence fell over the room. The reason they'd gathered here was because of yesterday's incident, after all.

"...Then I'll begin explaining yesterday's incident in earnest, commonly called the 'Han River Cruise Bomb Terror Attempt.' First, the bombs appear to have been attached in advance, and upon disarmament, they were confirmed to be high-performance bombs with enough power to half-destroy the boats. Where these were obtained has not yet been confirmed."

"Any leads from the broadcast hijacking?"

"...No. How he penetrated state-of-the-art security technology to hijack the broadcast and transmit it remains a mystery. There are no logs remaining, and the cameras were also moved by the villain, making verification impossible."

The presenter added 'however' and continued.

"Some speculate he might have broadcast-related abilities as well. But since no paranormal ability users with information technology-related powers have been confirmed yet, and there are no paranormal ability users with three abilities simultaneously, it's just speculation. He may have accomplices."

"Accomplices..."

"Yes. What's certain is that Egostic possesses the ability to freely hijack broadcasts from the three major networks. Also, since the broadcast itself wasn't stopped by us but rather because Egostic ceased transmission after the incident ended, it appears..."

"Right, I understand. I think I've heard enough."

The Association President, who had been listening quietly, cut off the presenter's words.

The presenter bowed his head once and returned to his seat.

Soon, only the Association President's voice echoed through the long conference table.

"To summarize: this villain is methodical and possesses extensive intelligence. He knows the whereabouts and identities of A and S-Rank Villains, and can hijack broadcast networks at will. Is there anything else?"

"...If I may add one more thing, yes."

The man who had given the briefing earlier spoke up from his seat.

"Also... for now, it appears he keeps his word. He actually let everyone on the ship go when no one pressed the button. And most importantly, he seems to be obsessed with Stardus."

As he finished speaking, all eyes turned to someone sitting at the far end of the table.

To Stardus—Shin Haru—who was attending the meeting.

Under everyone's attention, Stardus quietly addressed the audience watching her.

"Yes, that's correct. For some reason, the perpetrator left a message directed at me at the scene where he killed the villain, and in this incident as well, he specifically called me out."

"Do you know why, Stardus?"

At the Association President's question, Haru simply answered matter-of-factly.

"I don't know either."

"Hmm... How strange."

After hearing her response, the Association President nodded slowly and began discussing another topic. Shouldn't they elevate his rank to S-Rank—in other words, make him a Top Priority Wanted Target? Then came opposing voices: No, he only has attempted murder of civilians, hasn't actually killed anyone yet, and we don't even know the extent of his telekinesis—giving him S-Rank would be premature... Such discussions echoed through the room.

And so, throughout the night, heated debate continued in the Hero Association's conference hall.

***

At that same time.

In a small studio apartment several kilometers from the terror site.

"Ugh... Fuck, I'm dying here."

There, I lay in bed, groaning in agony.

Living as a villain wasn't easy...