Chapter 111 - Broadcast

Three terrorist attacks that no heroes could stop had occurred throughout Seoul.

When everyone was in despair, Ego-stream's airship appeared like a comet at the scene, making everyone focus.

And when Egostic's broadcast finally turned on.

The Republic of Korea was, literally, in an uproar.

"Hello everyone! This is Egostic!"

His image appeared on camera.

And simultaneously pouring in.

Passionate cheers.

[Holy sh*t lololol why is this happening lolol]

[Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick! Mangostick!]

[Kyaaaaaaah why did you come only now I think I'm going crazy!!!!!]

[Damn I believed in you!!!]

[Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~ Mango-yaho~]

[God exists, and he takes the form of a mango]

[Damn the chat is moving so fast I can't even see it lol]

[We are living in the age of Egostic We are living in the age of Egostic We are living in the age of Egostic We are living in the age of Egostic We are living in the age of Egostic We are living in the age of Egostic]

[Honestly if you teared up a bit when the broadcast turned ON, like this comment lol I'll start first lol]

[So damn good to see you lol]

The chat was pouring in so fast that ordinary eyes couldn't keep up.

Considering it was being broadcast simultaneously on public TV, it was astonishing.

Anyway, regardless of all that, he continued to greet everyone with his usual cheerful tone and smile.

"Yes! Great to see you all. It seems quite a long time has passed since I last saw you!"

[F*cking hell you went dark for almost half a year so of course it's been a long time lol]

[I seriously thought you were dead]

[Haven't shown your face once since the terror attack in Busan]

[I thought it felt like a really long time and it actually was lol]

[The past few months without Mango... ugh, my head....]

Along with comments confirming it really had been a long time, Team Mango members began pouring out their grievances.

Whether aware of these reactions or not, Egostic continued to smile while adjusting the mask on his face.

"Yes, yes. It's been a while, everyone. Ah! But it seems a lot has happened while I was away?"

[A lot of sh*t happened, damn right]

[Nothing much, just Seoul collapsing and discussions about relocating the capital...? Yeah]

[For real, just dozens of buildings destroyed and the country nearly ruined, nothing special]

[Damn that's not 'nothing much' you crazy people lol]

[This guy's head has gone crazy wwwww]

[It really was chaos, I even lost my home, damn it]

"Yes! That's right! While I was away, all hell broke loose! A pink storm raging in the night sky, Seoul collapsing, citizens in shock! It's absolute madness."

After saying that, he grinned.

Then he finally started getting to the point.

"So, I came to see what was going on myself."

"That's right! I'm currently inside that storm!"

He shouted that.

And predictably, the chat went wild.

Comments flooding in like crazy.

Seeing the reaction, still smiling, he began to quickly share the key information.

"And everyone. I'm going to tell you the results of my investigation."

"All these terrorist attacks were planned by a religious group called the Moonlight Cult. They're basically a cult that believes the Moon God will appear and destroy the world."

"And the one who caused this storm is called the Moon Priestess within the Moonlight Cult, a figure who can use special magic. She caused all this under the cult leader's orders."

"So to summarize, behind all this is a cult called the Moonlight Cult, and basically some psychopathic cult leader is trying to take over Seoul, the country, and then the world."

With those few sentences.

The chat began to burn up again.

Understandably. He had just casually revealed the truth behind the terrorist attacks that both the government and the association had failed to uncover.

[Wait what the hell lol how do you know all this lol]

[Instantly exposed everything about the terror's mastermind and the official title 'Moon Priestess' lol]

[Seriously lol the association still didn't know something this simple? lol]

[Breaking news: This much information revealed just 5 minutes into the broadcast]

[One Mango>>>>>>>All association members]

[Legendary from the start of the broadcast lololol]

After saying all that.

He grinned and opened his mouth.

"But you know what."

"Isn't it truly arrogant?"

"The largest villain alliance in the Republic of Korea, Ego-stream, is right here! And I don't like these Moonlight Cult or whatever cultists running around doing their own thing."

And simultaneously.

The camera began to pull back, showing exactly where he was standing.

Pink winds were swirling around, but where he stood there wasn't even a breeze.

Him standing at the eye of the storm.

[???????????]

[What is this? Is this the center of that pink storm?]

[Holy sh*t how did he get there lol]

[No way, the broadcast starts with him already at the final boss location lol]

[What's going on here? I seriously don't know;;]

[Wait, isn't this the storm that neither Stardust nor Shadow Walker could penetrate? How is Mango there lol]

[Wait, shouldn't the priestess be there too? Why is Egostic alone there?]

[Damn lol this is legendary no matter how you look at it lol]

As viewers began to flip out at this sudden revelation.

Egostic just kept smiling mysteriously.

Then, raising one hand toward the camera, he simply said one thing.

"So if you break business ethics, you should be punished, right?"

After saying that, he quietly snapped the finger he had raised.

Simultaneously, the camera shook and an enormous roar erupted.

***

Late at night.

In downtown Seoul, where everyone was staying up watching Egostic's broadcast.

The people there all began to panic at the sudden turn of events.

After the last image of Egostic snapping his fingers in the broadcast.

From the pink storm that had been destroying part of downtown, a purple beam of light bright enough to be seen throughout Seoul erupted with a roar.

And at the same time.

Purple electricity began to swirl around the storm.

A tremendous roar suddenly coming from that location.

The storm beginning to glow bright enough to be seen from far across Seoul.

Winds beginning to rage simultaneously.

Egostic's broadcast beginning to shake so badly nothing could be seen.

The chat in chaos due to the sudden situation.

People downtown in panic due to the anomaly occurring in real-time.

And.

KWAAAAAAAAAANG.

With a tremendous roar, the storm literally exploded.

And, at the center of that storm.

Shown on Egostic's broadcast.

In the thick pink smoke that had settled there.

A mysterious woman, whom no one had seen before, began to appear hazily.

A beautiful woman with a mystical aura, wearing white priestess robes, with long straight black hair and red eyes.

Everyone who saw her realized.

Ah. So this is the Moon Priestess who caused all this.

As the camera continued to focus only on the woman.

People watching the broadcast began to wonder why Egostic wasn't visible.

[What the hell is going on here]

[Outside my window there's flashing and chaos]

[Where did Mangostick go?? I'm starting to worry]

[...What's this? Could this explosion be caused by that woman trying to deal with Egostic?]

[No way, that can't be]

[Are we seriously going to be destroyed like this?? No!!!!!]

As viewers' questions continued to pile up.

As if to end those questions.

Behind the woman, Egostic hazily appeared.

The Moon Priestess remained motionless and quiet despite him being behind her.

And simultaneously, his voice was heard from behind her.

"Yes. That's right."

"I stopped this flashy, undignified, and charmless terrorism."

He said that from behind her, looking straight at the camera.

And at the same time.

"And I declare here today."

Egostic, who was behind the Moon Priestess, said that and then embraced her from behind.

And simultaneously, he placed one arm near her face—specifically her chin—and lifted her face with his fingers.

Whispering, yet clearly.

Looking at the camera, to the entire nation watching this broadcast.

With a grin, he opened his mouth.

"Yes. In short."

"From now on, this Moon Priestess belongs to me."

"That means, from now on, she's not affiliated with that cult-like Moonlight Cult, but with Ego-stream."

"Right, Miss Priestess?"

Egostic whispered slyly.

Still in his embrace, the Moon Priestess.

Her cold face from before gone, she blushed slightly and quietly murmured.

"Yes...."

Satisfied with her answer as she remained in his embrace, Egostic smiled and said to the camera.

"Haha. Did you hear that?"

"The Moon Priestess, newly added to our Ego-stream lineup, I hope you'll all show her lots of love. Oh, and to the Moonlight Cult folks?"

As he said that, he raised his hand to the camera and flipped them off.

"Good luck."

And his smiling face as he said that.

Was truly villainous.

***

At the association tent set up in front of the storm.

Shin Ha-ru, who was lying down receiving treatment, quietly thought.

....Clearly, when he patted her head. She felt an emotion she had never experienced before.

And.

"....."

Looking at the screen placed next to the bed, showing Egostic embracing the woman called the Moon Priestess from behind.

She was feeling, likewise, an emotion she had never experienced before.

'....Somehow, it's annoying.'

But unlike before, it was a somewhat negative emotion.