Chapter 276 - Her Awakening

Dark space.

"Haah..."

In that strange cosmic-like space where not even an inch ahead was visible, Stardust was being pushed somewhere again.

Before arriving at her next destination, she was thinking once more about what she had just seen.

About another dimension, a world that had perished.

"..."

...A world that was identical to the one she lived in, but somehow everything had gone wrong.

A world that had completely failed to prevent the numerous disasters that her world had successfully averted.

And the reason why that world had thoroughly collapsed, unlike her own world.

The most fundamental, the only difference between that world and hers was.

'...Egostic wasn't there.'

She murmured this thought as she drifted alone with closed eyes in the dark space.

The difference of just one person.

The single difference that Egostic didn't exist in that world had changed the fate of both worlds.

...The villains Egostic had killed at his own discretion would have become S-class villains who would later massacre thousands of people.

The disasters he had intervened to prevent would have occurred if he hadn't been there, nearly bringing Korea to the brink of extinction.

And so Stardust, having seen a world where Egostic didn't exist, finally realized.

How important Egostic was to her, once again. Belatedly.

'....Egostic.'

Yes.

Come to think of it, it was always Egostic alone who came to her in seemingly hopeless crisis situations.

Lost in these thoughts, she unconsciously recalled all the times she had spent with Egostic.

When she was despairing, thinking she couldn't stop the falling airplane, he contacted her and gave her courage with his certainty.

In the underground laboratory of Han-Eun Group, he risked his life taking attacks meant for her.

When the Han-Eun Group brought out their massive weapon, he hijacked it and stopped them.

When the Moon Priestess created a storm to attack the city, he appeared at the last moment to stop her and take her away.

When the being called Demon King tried to kill her, he suddenly appeared to block and defeat him.

In all those moments, Egostic had been with her.

He had always rushed to her aid in moments of crisis.

He even recruited or hunted other villains on her behalf.

And in this Moon Cult incident too, he ultimately helped her and led people to safety.

Yes. That's how he always was.

Thump.

As she continued to ponder and reflect on these thoughts.

Finally, she organized her thoughts.

...Without Egostic, millions, tens of millions would have died.

Thanks to Egostic, world peace was maintained, and people remained safe.

So then.

'Egostic... can't really be called a villain, can he?'

She found herself thinking this without realizing it.

He commits acts of terror but never harms civilians.

He deals with other villains and saves countless people.

...He always steps up for her when she's in danger.

Isn't he closer to a hero than a villain?

She drifted through this strange cosmic space with these thoughts.

...So, where am I going now? It's good that I've thought about Egostic, but I don't even know if I can return to where he is.

...Surely I won't have to drift in this strange space forever without being able to return.

As Stardust imagined such ominous thoughts.

At that moment, she unconsciously recalled his familiar face again.

...Yes. The reason she had remained intact unlike her counterpart from another world. That was because.

Always in moments like this, Egostic would come to her.

...I've relied on Egostic so much until now.

She smiled self-deprecatingly at this realization.

Why hadn't she realized it until now? Why had she always tried to think negatively about him?

In the end, the face that came to her mind in her final moment was Egostic's.

...But I can't help it. Whenever I've had these thoughts, whenever I've harbored futile hopes. As if to prove they weren't futile. As if insisting I should just trust him - you've always appeared before me with a bright smile. Making it impossible for me to dislike you even if I wanted to. You've always appeared. When I'm by your side, I've always felt reassured without even realizing it.

...I miss you.

And just as she was thinking this.

-Flash

Suddenly, a white light burst forth before her eyes.

Startled by the sudden situation, she opened her eyes.

And what appeared before her eyes was.

"...Haha, Ms. Stardust. What are you doing here?"

Wearing a black hat and a white mask covering half his face. Draped in a black cape and grinning.

The one she had been unconsciously thinking about.

...And, the one she had missed.

"I've come to save you, Ms. Stardust."

Her villain.

Her... arch-enemy.

Floating above the black space, extending his hand toward her.

It was Egostic.

And seeing him like this.

Stardust thought with dazed eyes.

...You came for me again.

As always, it was him who extended his hand to her in moments of crisis. Only him.

Looking at his smiling face.

She found herself thinking.

...How could I.

How could I possibly dislike you.

How could I.

Possibly not like you.

Whether he knew her thoughts or not.

Egostic continued smiling, his hand extended as he said to her.

"Ms. Stardust, let's go back now."

"To our home."

And looking at him.

She found herself smiling.

Smiling, she extended her hand to him.

"Yes..."

And so.

Their hands finally grasped each other.

Before she could even feel his warmth.

Flash

A white light burst forth around them, and they disappeared from that space.

It was time to return together now.

To the home they had come from.

To their Earth.

***

"Oppa! Oppa!"

After Stardust was hit by the Moon Cult leader's spell and flew through the dimensional gate.

And Egostic followed her through it.

As soon as the dimensional gate closed.

Under the dark sky, among the collapsed cities, those who remained were in complete chaos.

"Hey... hey you bastard! What the hell are you doing!"

"Kuhehe... Aaack! Keurk, kek kek..."

Electra, whose eyes went wild after seeing Egostic disappear before her, rushed like lightning to grab the cult leader by the collar and shake him.

The cult leader gasped for breath, but then broke into an evil laugh and began to speak.

"Kuhaha... Kuhahahahaha! You're already too late. They will now wander through different dimensions forever and die there. You will never see his face again. Kuhahahahahahaha!!!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Bring them back right now!"

"Kuhahahahaha! Keurk, kek kek..."

Unable to contain her anger, Electra, Choi Se-hee, threw him to the ground.

An ominous sense of unease spread among those surrounding him.

"...We'll never see Oppa again?"

The light had long disappeared from Han Seo-eun's eyes.

The others also began to waver, as if sensing something ominous.

As everyone's mental state began to crumble.

The Moon Cult leader, lying on the ground with blood flowing from his mouth, propped himself up with his hands and shouted at them.

"That's right! It's over forever now. No matter what you do to me, they can never return. It's an eternal farewell! Kuhahahahaha!"

As the Moon Cult leader Celestial Moon Emperor's maniacal laughter echoed and a sense of despair slowly spread among those remaining. Just then.

"...Who says we can't come back?"

"Kuhaha!!... Huh?"

"Oh! Everyone, up there!"

At that moment, a bright white oval-shaped gate appeared in the dark sky.

And through it, as if they had just gone out for a brief excursion. Very naturally.

Egostic with a smiling face, and Stardust holding his hand. They appeared naturally through that gate in the air.

"Oppa!"

"Yes, I'm back. ...Fortunately, not much time has passed?"

Landing naturally on the ground.

He turned his head and grinned at the cult leader who was looking up with his mouth open in disbelief.

"...So, Cult Leader. Was your last desperate attempt successful?"

"You... how could you! It's impossible for a human body to cross through that dimensional current..."

"Well, it worked just fine. Anyway, there's nothing more to do now, right?"

"This... this..."

"Where do you think you're going."

Saying this, he moved his hand and grabbed the Moon Cult leader's body in mid-air with psychokinesis.

Then he naturally pulled out a gun from his chest.

"Anyway, now that everything's over, stop being pathetic and go. Oh, and..."

Looking around, he found a camera lying on one side, lifted it with telekinesis, and smiled at the lens.

"Everyone, today's Egostic surprise event, 'Taking Care of the Moon Cult,' ends here. Did you all enjoy it?"

"Then I'll say goodbye for today."

"Everyone, take care!"

"You...!"

With the cult leader's final desperate word.

Bang.

With a single gunshot, his body crumpled.

At that moment, dozens, hundreds of magic circles appeared on the ground and glowed.

Whaaaaaaaa.

Simultaneously, the gates floating in the sky began to disappear one by one.

Soon the dark moon in the sky disappeared, the day broke, and the bright sun rose.

The white light illuminated everyone standing there, casting their shadows against the backdrop of the city.

The broadcast ended.

And.

Finally, the Moon Cult's gate disaster came to an end.

*

Under the brightened sky.

Looking at Egostic's profile as he smiled painfully while looking up.

...Stardust found herself thinking.

"..."

Egostic. In the end, he had defeated the enemy with her and stopped this disaster.

Thanks to him, thousands, tens of thousands of lives were saved.

...And not just now, but before too. All thanks to him, this world could be protected.

Could someone like him simply be called a villain?

'...Huh?'

As she was thinking this.

Suddenly, she realized something.

...If Egostic wasn't a villain.

'Then there's no problem if I get closer to him now, is there...?'

She found herself thinking this without realizing it.

*

'It's finally over...'

After defeating the Moon Cult leader.

I looked up at the brightened sky and unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

It took a long time. To stop the disaster caused by the Moon Cult.

Now I can rest for a while. In the original story, they spend all their time stopping the monsters from the Moon Cult gates at the end of this Phase 2, but now that's gone. Thanks to the disappearance of that event, nothing should happen for a while.

'...Hmm?'

As I was thinking this.

Suddenly, I realized something.

...Since the boss of Phase 3 was Seo-eun anyway, I've essentially already solved the biggest problem of Phase 3.

And Phase 4 is the final boss anyway...

'I could probably retire soon, couldn't I?'

I found myself thinking this without realizing it.

***

[The Moon Cult incident that began in the Republic of Korea has finally come to an end.]

[Major countries around the world are reportedly doing their best to deal with the remaining monsters and restore cities...]

[The video livestreamed by South Korea's A-class villain Egostic has already recorded hundreds of millions of views, garnering tremendous interest overseas...]

[[Exclusive] Stardust and Egostic promoted to S-class hero and S-class villain respectively.]