Chapter 83 - The Battle Of The Strongest

# Outskirts of the Metropolitan Area

In this place filled with ruins and debris, where everyone else had evacuated...

A massive weapon made of steel armor stood imposingly.

With its overturned hemispherical head, long dangling arms, and an incredibly large and tall body and legs.

A gigantic weapon that looked extremely dangerous at first glance.

And in front of it.

A single person, barely visible compared to the machine, stood in mid-air.

It was her, Stardust, facing the weapon that was dozens or hundreds of times larger than herself without showing any fear, her long blonde hair fluttering in the wind.

And the one facing her from the cockpit of that massive weapon was none other than me, Egostic.

"My goodness. This place has become a complete wasteland, hasn't it?"

I spoke into the microphone with a sly smile.

My voice boomed through speakers attached somewhere on the giant weapon.

The decibel level was high enough to pierce directly into Stardust's ears right in front of me.

"Now that I have this thing, I feel the urge to just march straight into Seoul..."

I said with a grin.

"Well. Whether I do that or not depends on you, Stardust. If you defeat me here, I'll withdraw obediently. But if I win? I'll head straight for Seoul with the goal of turning it into a sea of flames."

"So."

After saying that much, I manipulated the machine to wiggle my finger at her and continued.

"Why don't you make the first move?"

The moment I finished speaking, she was already flying toward me with her blonde hair fluttering, fist clenched.

She seemed to be smiling. Maybe it's just my imagination?

Anyway, it's finally time to show off the skills I've honed through years of fighting games.

I placed my hands on the control panel and shouted to my companions behind me.

"Everyone hold on tight! We're about to get into a serious fight!"

Then I operated the machine to make it clench its fist.

Now, let's begin the real battle.

***

Stardust.

Even facing the enormous robot that towered over her, she felt no fear.

...No. To be honest, she did feel a bit intimidated. It was several times larger than her, so naturally there was some pressure.

But.

Was it because of Egostic, who called her out with such confidence?

Was it because his statement that he wouldn't destroy Seoul if she defeated him seemed like he was motivating her to win?

Or was her lack of fear in front of this massive machine because...

When she had previously felt overwhelmed in seemingly insurmountable situations like this one...

'You can do it.'

Those words he had once said to her came to mind.

"...Right."

She found herself smiling unconsciously as she muttered.

Let's see what you've got.

With that, she clenched her fist and flew toward the giant robot.

The robot also began to extend its fist.

The curtain rose on their battle.

***

"Yes! At this very moment! Stardust and the massive weapon piloted by Egostic have collided! Wow, even though our camera is so far away, we can feel the shockwaves from here. Stardust is currently attacking from the side, and Egostic is blocking it. Oh, Egostic counterattacks! The giant arm flies toward Stardust! Stardust narrowly avoids it!"

[Is this fight between Egostic and Stardust for real? Truly a battle between the strongest in the world. Is that really the same awkward Stardust? My heart is pounding...]

[Stardust is dodging really well lol]

[How can Stardust possibly fight something that big? Is this a rigged match?]

[Stardust once held up a falling airplane lol, don't underestimate her]

[This will just be another addition to her resume lol. Fighting a villain in a giant weapon]

[And they're fighting evenly, wow]

[Is this finally Stardust's chance for S-rank promotion?????]

[Wait, did Mangostick just steal that robot? How is he operating it so well lol]

[Our Mango is multi-talented lol]

[Honestly, Egostic should be promoted to S-rank too. What he's shown so far surpasses most S-ranks]

[For real, he just took down those Han-eun Group psychos, he deserves S-rank promotion ASAP]

[I'm not part of Team Mango but I agree]

[Fact: Team Mango coordinated to flood this chat]

[Not true. Team Stardust is here too]

[Like if you're from Team Mango and sad that Egostic isn't streaming this lol]

[Why are we stuck in a news chat room? Why isn't the Ego-stream site living up to its name and streaming?]

[The engagement seems lower today? Maybe because it's not Egostic's official broadcast?]

[No, there was a disaster alert in southern Seoul because of that thing, so people evacuated]

[Not true? I'm watching this broadcast on the street after fleeing with my family]

[You're crazy lol]

[But seriously, Stardust is fighting really well lol]

***

How much time had passed since the battle began?

They were still fighting.

[Hahaha! Stardust, is that all you've got! Show me something better!]

Laughter echoed from the giant robot.

Stardust gritted her teeth as she heard it.

After the prolonged battle, Stardust was panting from exhaustion.

She looked to be in bad shape, barely dodging his attacks while sweating profusely, but the robot wasn't in great condition either.

Unlike its pristine appearance at the start, it was now emitting smoke from somewhere due to her continuous attacks.

Of course, it was still in much better shape than Stardust, who was now so exhausted that even flying was difficult, but it had clearly taken damage.

She continued to grit her teeth.

Honestly speaking.

With her current abilities, victory seemed unlikely.

The difference in size was simply too great.

The machine only needed to hit her once, while she had to attack it from all angles.

Moreover, each punch from the steel fist sent shockwaves through her body when blocked.

Although her abilities had strengthened considerably compared to before, it still wasn't enough.

[Are you tired already? Is this all you've got!!!]

Another punch from the weapon flew toward her with his voice.

"Ugh."

She barely blocked it, letting out a groan.

Her body was now so exhausted that she could barely muster any strength.

Even continuing to fly was pushing her to her limits.

For an ordinary person, this would be a hopeless situation enough to break their spirit.

However.

She still hadn't given up.

Shin Ha-ru.

Was this the first time she had faced such a desperate situation?

No. She had experienced moments of despair before.

Thinking she couldn't win, that she couldn't do anything.

'You can do it.'

But hadn't she overcome those moments?

Though panting from exhaustion, her eyes burned with renewed determination.

Yes, giving up here made no sense.

She took another deep breath and charged toward the giant weapon.

She was determined to defeat him, just as he expected.

And then.

[Oh? That's it! This is what makes fighting worthwhile!]

[Oppa, control it properly!]

[Hey, be careful!]

"..."

After his words from the machine, she heard faint female voices.

She unconsciously clenched her fists.

She had one more reason to bring down that giant weapon.

After defeating it, she would find out exactly who those women with him were.

With that, she charged at the giant weapon again with strength that seemed to come from nowhere.

***

"Yes! That's it!"

I couldn't help but shout.

Stardust, who had been growing increasingly tired, seemed to have renewed her determination and was now coming at me with everything she had.

The women behind me complained about my rough handling, but I remained undeterred.

This was the perfect opportunity to help Stardust grow explosively!

From today onward, incredibly strong villains would start appearing, so she needed to get stronger now to make things easier for herself later.

This was the best opportunity for growth.

Just like how lifting weights when you're so exhausted you can barely move a finger is most effective for building muscle.

She too would break through her limits and grow when she continues fighting despite being completely drained.

In other words, this is the perfect time for her to get stronger.

"Hahaha! More! Attack me more!!!!"

While facing Stardust with a voice drunk on madness, my brain was spinning with calculations.

After a few more hours of this, when she's gotten much stronger...

I'll pretend to make a mistake and take a few hits, then fall down and act like "Argh! You defeated me!" before escaping.

Perfect. The plan is flawless!

Ah, how long has it been since things went so smoothly according to plan?

I'm moved to tears.

***

Hero Association.

Operations Control Room.

"She's doing great! Yes, right there with an uppercut! Nice and clean. Ha-ru definitely has good instincts. Hmm."

The Director was watching Stardust and Egostic's battle on the large monitor on the wall while munching on popcorn.

A staff member rushed up to him breathlessly.

"Director!"

"What is it?"

"The President, the President...!"

The staff member's next words succeeded in making even the Director's face freeze.

"He... he's launched missiles toward the site!"

"Ha..."

Upon hearing this, the Director unconsciously dropped the popcorn container he was holding.

All that escaped from him was a low mutter.

"...We're fucked."