Chapter 281 - Unexpected Encounter
# A wide open sky.
Above the city where sunlight sparkles and reflects off the glass of several new buildings.
Stardus was looking down below with an indifferent expression.
".....Haah."
Feeling her blonde hair fluttering in the wind blowing through the sky, she searched for where the villain might be below.
And on one side of the city, someone wearing an obviously suspicious outfit.
That must be the villain who supposedly caused the terror this time.
After such a simple thought, she kicked off the empty air and flew straight down.
Then she heard the person's voice.
"Heeaaah! Hehe, are you afraid of me?"
While saying that, the villain was attacking in all directions using strange mechanical arms attached to their body.
The villain appeared to be an androgynous-looking woman with long black hair, wearing sunglasses.
The villain, wearing a long coat, was attacking everywhere with two mechanical arms attached to her back.
Naturally, people had all fled quickly like trained soldiers as soon as they heard the explosion, making her look somewhat pitiful as she was destroying an empty street all by herself.
Anyway, she had dealt with too many miscellaneous villains of this type.
Stardus descended to the ground and landed in mid-air, a good distance away from the villain.
And of course, the villain noticed her.
"Oho? Who do we have here? Isn't it the famous Stardus?"
In response to the villain's words upon seeing Stardus arrive with an expressionless face, Stardus opened her mouth and spoke in an emotionless voice.
"Villain. Put down your weapons and surrender quietly. Then I'll put you in prison without you getting hurt."
"Puhaha! That's hilarious. Why would I? Are you crazy?"
"...."
Since she hadn't expected much to begin with, she quietly clenched her fist.
At that moment, the villain smiled at her and briefly lowered her sunglasses.
The villain's eyes were strangely spinning around.
"Shall I introduce myself? I'm Dungeon Maker. The woman who will conquer this city today. Ahaha."
"...Haah."
Looking at the woman who was swinging her mechanical arms and laughing, Stardus sighed.
...All the villains she met these days were crazy like this. No, perhaps they became villains because they were crazy.
Why wasn't Egostic showing up when he should, and only these villains appeared? She thought to herself.
But anyway.
It didn't matter who the opponent was. They would all fall equally to her punch anyway.
After capturing the giant monster known as the Lunar Beast, her confidence had increased quite a bit.
"Haah. Fine. Defeating you will end this, right?"
Stardus muttered as she floated up into the sky.
And seeing her like that.
"Hmm...."
The villain who called herself Dungeon Maker just quietly smiled and watched her move her hand without showing any caution.
And seeing that.
'...What is this?'
Stardus felt an inexplicable anxiety rising within her.
Something, something ominous about this feeling.
A superhuman warning that felt strange coming from a villain with such mechanical arms.
A feeling that something would go wrong.
Since her hero's intuition, which had almost always been accurate with bad premonitions, Stardus instinctively felt that her opponent wouldn't be easy.
But. There wasn't much else she could do now...
...In that ominous sensation creeping up her back.
Stardus tried hard to gather her courage.
There was no choice now. She had to face it. ...She didn't know why this villain made her feel so ominous.
Finally, as she swallowed and tensed up, her fist emitting a yellow light.
And as the villain called Dungeon Maker also raised her hand to do something.
In that tense, critical moment when Stardus was extremely nervous.
"...Haha! Well, looks like you two were trying to have fun without me?"
In that quiet street where the two faced each other.
From above, a man's voice echoed.
A voice too familiar to her.
"...Huh?"
"Hmm..?"
At that voice, the two women who were confronting each other looked up.
And there on the rooftop of a nearby low building.
A man stood smiling, wearing a mask on his face.
His appearance was.
Though she had been waiting and waiting.
Someone she never, never expected to meet today.
"...Egostic?"
It was the all too familiar appearance of Egostic, her arch-enemy.
Despite his sudden appearance, far from being tense, Stardus could only blankly look up at him.
...Why are you showing up here...?
His sudden intrusion, incomprehensible.
And the moment she saw him, she felt the tension in her body release.
Yes.
The emotion she felt the moment she saw him.
The strange feeling a hero feels when another villain intrudes while confronting a villain.
It was relief.
...And a little. No, actually a big. Much bigger than she herself felt, feeling of happiness.
***
This world is messed up.
That's what I've been thinking since the day I fell into this place. I guess it's natural since the original work was a depressing one. Anyway. A prime example is the abilities of villains.
Clearly until Phase 1, the abilities of supernatural power users were relatively simple. Even Stardus simply had super strength and could fly, or someone could teleport and such. Especially power users like Stardus who had more than two abilities basically received an A-rank. Teleporter who could teleport. Crocodileman who could transform into a giant alligator human. Electra who used lightning. How simple.
But from Phase 2, all villains started receiving S-rank, and abilities gradually became more complex. Just think about Eun-wol who used magic, a completely different system from superpowers. Seo Ja-young was like that too, and so were other villains I faced, all with unusual abilities.
And now, Phase 3.
This is when villains' abilities become the most chaotic. All kinds of extraordinary abilities appear. Naturally, they creatively torment Stardus. That's why among readers at that time, there were many comments saying they missed Phase 1 and Phase 2 villains...
...Of course, in the subsequent major prison break event at the end of Phase 3, villains from previous phases all escaped and ran wild, proving once again that they were strong despite having simple abilities. It's natural that a villain with the simple ability to "split the sky with one punch" is stronger than one with a complicated ability...
Anyway, what I want to say is one thing.
Among the upcoming villains, there are some that cannot be defeated at all if you don't know what kind of ability they use. No matter how strong Stardus is, it's impossible.
And that's the villain who just appeared on TV, Dungeon Maker.
One of the three Makers in the villain alliance formed by Scream Maker.
I found and dealt with our Scream Maker, but I couldn't find Dungeon Maker, and now she's appeared on her own.
Anyway, that woman is a gimmick-type villain, so she's difficult to deal with if you don't know how to approach her. In fact, in the original work, Stardus almost died when she first faced her.
As such, how could I just stand by? Of course, the original Stardus was always nearly dying, but that's that and this is this.
That's why I'm now standing on the rooftop of a commercial building, looking down with a grin at that woman confronting Stardus. Ah, fortunately I wasn't too late. If I had been a little later, it would have been a disaster.
...Of course, even in the rush, I didn't forget to bring my camera. At times like this, not filming secretly and coming out boldly is less suspicious. I should be confident.
*
[KingGodGeneralEmperorMeat100% Mangostick has entered the gallery lolololol Kyahhh lololololol]
[I've been waiting for a villain like you I've been waiting for a villain like you I've been waiting for a villain like you I've been waiting for a villain like you I've been waiting for a villain like you]
[This is it damn yassss~~~~]
[Like if you're Team Mango who came running with a big smile as soon as the broadcast started lolololol]
[The real 'S-rank' hero Egostic's first broadcast after achieving S-rank has entered the gallery pyapya lolololololol]
[Oh God I've been waiting for you I will serve you GOD]
[This is it this is it this is it this is it this is it this is it]
[Mango, have you come to help Stardus again?]
[Like if you think Egostic and Stardus should just confess and date already lol I'll start lol]
[Sigh the whole world is Team MangoStar... Even Egostic himself is Team MangoStar...]
*
The chat instantly became chaotic.
...Somehow there were too many foreigners too, so I excluded non-Korean chats, but the chat was still scrolling down too fast to read. I should ask Seo-eun to add a slow mode function.
Anyway, that's not what's important right now.
"...Huh? Egostic?"
Seeing Stardus looking up at me with wide eyes in surprise the moment she saw me, I grinned. Yes. I'm glad she's safe.
...And then.
"Wow. Who do we have here. The famous... Egostic, isn't it?"
The woman with mechanical arms wearing sunglasses standing in front of her, Dungeon Maker, also looked up at me with a smile and said that.
...I didn't like that woman. Her concept overlaps with mine.
I smiled at her and opened my mouth.
"Haha, hello. I heard someone was causing trouble in my front yard and bullying my arch-enemy, and it turns out to be you."
"Ahaha. I don't know why this city is your front yard, but is that so? As a junior villain, I feel bad for causing trouble for my senior. Can I call you 'honey' from now on?"
"...Haha. No."
I forced a smile and responded to her words.
...She seems more insane than I thought. I guess she can be like that because she's confident in her ability.
By the way, Stardus down there is narrowing her eyes and glaring at us as the woman and I are talking... I should act quickly.
And just as I was thinking that.
"Hmm... Well, come to think of it, taking care of the famous S-rank couple might boost my reputation?"
Dungeon Maker. That woman acted faster.
"That's right! Senior, become a sacrifice for your junior!"
With those words.
Kuwung-
Suddenly the atmosphere around her changed, darkening.
Kigigigigigigigiging
In the empty air.
Numerous, white block-like objects, so many they blocked the sky, suddenly emerged in a line and began flying toward us.
Yes. It's started.
"Hmm... Huh?"
And at that moment.
Faster than anyone, I flew toward Stardus who was bewildered by the scene, and embraced her from behind.
"Ms. Stardus, excuse me for a moment."
"Huh? What? Ah? W-wait..?"
As she was flustered by my sudden approach, her face reddened and she stammered in confusion.
The white boxes surrounded us.
And so, we were transported somewhere.
Into Dungeon Maker's unique ability, the labyrinth. Just the two of us.