Chapter 106 - Dark Night
# Pink Storm Aftermath
Several hours had passed since the pink storm devastated downtown Seoul.
Moonlight
The last thing anyone saw was two glowing pink characters shooting across the dark evening sky.
The villain who caused all this chaos had vanished without a trace, along with the pink energy she had summoned.
And only heroes remained where the villain had departed.
"How could I... ME of all people... be so useless at night... This is impossible!! Aaaaargh... I should just go die. Why am I even alive?"
Shadow Walker was crouched in a corner, digging at the ground in despair.
"Why isn't Da-in answering her phone? Sigh... come on..."
And in another corner, Icicle was muttering with his phone pressed against his face, anxiously trying to call someone.
And in the middle of it all.
Stardust stood there with the most dejected expression, staring at the spot where the villain had disappeared.
"......"
The place where the villain had been was now in ruins.
This city, which had been bustling with people just earlier today, was destroyed in a single night.
In this desolate place with no one around, only debris scattered about.
Shin Ha-ru clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.
....The destruction of the city wasn't the problem. Buildings could be rebuilt.
The problem was that despite all their efforts, they couldn't capture the villain.
And that villain, who had vanished after shooting only the word "Moonlight" into the sky, would likely return.
And the biggest problem was:
When that villain returned to cause more terror, she would probably still be unable to stop it.
"....."
The moment she realized this fact again.
An indescribable feeling of despair washed over her.
That villain would probably return.
And again harm people and destroy their homes.
And she would still be just as powerless.
Lost in these thoughts, she suddenly looked up at the sky.
She had felt this kind of frustration before.
But back then, someone had been there to encourage her.
And sometimes, that person had stepped in directly to prevent disasters.
Though she hadn't fully realized it at the time.
That person had been a greater support than she'd thought.
Without him, how terribly things could unfold.
Only in his absence did she now understand.
"....."
And.
Realizing he wouldn't come this time.
Realizing he probably wouldn't come next time either.
That fact, without her even knowing why, made her sad.
Though it wasn't something to be sad about, she couldn't help it.
Under the dark night sky, facing the ruins spread before her.
She just stared.
Just kept staring blankly.
***
[What does the "Moonlight" that lit up the night sky after the terror attack mean?]
[Why couldn't heroes stop the hours-long terror attack?]
[[Exclusive] Shadow Walker reportedly in seclusion at home...]
[Association announces emergency evacuation manual for citizens' safety. Concerns that "this doesn't address the fundamental problem."]
[Who is the woman in priestess clothes who revealed herself as "Moonlight"? Searching for the identity of the Association's so-called Moon Priestess.]
The Pink Storm incident that turned a Seoul district into wasteland.
With the culprit's identity still unknown, with only the two characters "Moonlight" revealed, this incident has turned South Korea upside down.
There was only one reason why Korea, already quite accustomed to villain attacks, was so shaken:
Three A-class heroes had confronted the villain but couldn't win.
And since one of them was Shadow Walker, considered nearly invincible at night, citizens were even more shocked.
Though casualties were thankfully few, there was no guarantee it would be the same next time.
With all three heroes now gone from the scene, the Association claimed to be considering countermeasures, but that was the extent of it.
South Korea was in an uproar.
And online communities were no exception.
*
[How the f*** is this Moon Priestess or whatever so strong?]
You can't even see her face clearly.
Fine, she somehow turned the entire city pink with some kind of tornado.
But how did she beat both Stardust and Shadow Walker?
I don't understand how Shadow Walker could lose in the first place.
[Likes]1 [Dislikes]0
=[Comments]=
[Shadow couldn't even get close to where the villain was. He was completely useless]
[Experts say the priestess likely has something that weakens heroes' abilities]
ㄴ[So she can create typhoons, shoot stars, AND has nullification powers? How do we beat that?]
ㄴ[That's why everyone's freaking out - we can't win]
ㄴ[I heard electronic devices don't even work near her lol]
[At this point, shouldn't we borrow S-class heroes from overseas?]
ㄴ[They say nullification powers would affect anyone... Plus Stardust is practically S-class and Shadow is essentially S-class at night, but they still got destroyed...]
[We're just screwed]
*
[The person we miss most right now...]
The "person" who single-handedly handled the hotel terror in Busan
The "person" who prevented the giant worm disaster by destroying the bridge in advance
The "person" who hijacked and stopped the giant robot when Han-eun Group went crazy and invaded Seoul
The greatest GOAT of our time
"Mangostick" - if you miss him, let's hit that like button
[Likes]3807 [Dislikes]127
=[Comments]=
[Ah... only after the flower withers do we realize it was spring...]
[S-class hero Apple Mango, please come back]
[Where did Egostic go? Ego-squad or whatever, hurry up and recruit that woman!!!]
[My house was destroyed in this terror attack and there's nowhere to apply for compensation... Egostic always provided that]
ㄴ[Isn't it weird that she provided that in the first place? lol]
[Things were best when Egostic was causing the terror]
[Mango, can't you just help us out one more time? Stardust, Shadow Walker, and whoever else all failed, you're our only hope...]
ㄴ[Are you crazy? Egostic is a villain, wake up!!]
ㄴ[If Egostic got involved in this terror, she'd probably help that Moon Priestess, not the heroes]
***
Well. I do plan to help.
"Sigh... Should I just step in during the next terror attack?"
"Oppa. You clearly said you'd stay put for the first two attacks and only step in for the third one. What's going on?"
"But... sob! How can I just stand by and watch our Stardust suffer like this!"
"Da-in... at least we've destroyed the magic circles that amplify that villain's abilities, so the damage is minimal."
"Right. Hey, what have you been saying all along? That this is a necessary process for Stardust's growth. That you reduced it from four times to two. What's the point if you step in after just one?"
"Okay... okay."
I raised both hands in surrender and slumped back on the sofa.
Yes, this is painful but necessary. Seeing how Stardust has been one-shotting enemies lately, opportunities like this for her to struggle are rare and should be utilized. Plus, since I'm managing the magic circles separately, I can control the difficulty level, making this a safe growth opportunity that won't come again.
The problem is that seeing Ha-ru struggling makes me tear up without realizing it... Sigh. Just endure it one more time.
While I was thinking this, Ha-yul approached me from my room with a phone.
"Da-in oppa. Someone named Lee Seol-ah keeps calling?"
"She's still at it? Just turn the phone off."
"Is that okay?"
I nodded at Ha-yul who tilted her head questioningly.
The phone finally turns off.
It can't be helped. If I told Seol-ah the truth, Shin Ha-ru might intuitively notice the relief in Seol-ah.
It would be nice to ease Seol-ah's mind by telling her I'll personally stop the third terror attack, but what's not possible is not possible. Since the original event where Seol-ah goes north to defeat Behemoth is gone, this is also a good growth opportunity for her.
...Though I'll probably get an earful after this whole situation is over.
"...Sigh."
Looking at Stardust's gritted teeth expression on TV, I swallowed another sigh.
I'm sorry, Ha-ru. I'll definitely come next time after next.
So, just endure until next time, okay?
"Sob!!"
"Sigh... is he going to be like this until this is over? This is a disaster..."
Hearing Choi Se-hee collapse while grabbing the back of her neck, I focused on the TV.
As a devoted fan of Stardust, I have a feeling the coming days will be truly terrible.
Sigh.
***
And so, time continued to flow after that incident.
I shed another bucket of tears while organizing Stardust photos to post on the fan cafe.
And shed more tears hearing that Stardust was in seclusion training. Ha-ru, that won't help you win!
The Association once again delivered countermeasures and emergency evacuation procedures to citizens.
As people began to speculate that "Moonlight" might be related to a mysterious religion called the Moonlight Church.
After I wrote another letter to the Association, not long after.
Finally, once again.
A massive pink vortex appeared in the heart of Seoul.
The Moon Priestess of the Moonlight Church had begun her second terror attack.
"Oh no!! Ha-ru!!!"
"Oppa... please..."
And Shin Ha-ru and her friends were getting thoroughly beaten again.
My heart is breaking.