Chapter 290 - Tsunami

"...No, why is Ariel appearing here?"

At the main house of Ego-Stream.

There, I was extremely confused seeing Ariel who suddenly appeared in Busan.

No, what on earth is going on?

[It appears that this terror attack is being led by the North Atlantic villain organization Latis, with a blue-haired villain seemingly in charge. It's still unknown why Latis, which is known to have a non-aggression treaty with Ego-Stream, has invaded...]

Regardless of my reaction, the anchor's voice continued on the TV.

And on that screen, waves from the blue sea were surging magnificently.

And our Ariel was also clearly visible above them, looking quite proud.

"..."

...No, what on earth is happening?

Ariel.

As Atlas's daughter, she was someone who should have died in the original story but I saved her. Perhaps because of that, she always followed me well whenever I visited the underwater city where Atlas lived. She was also very fragile, probably because her body had been sick for a long time.

Anyway, I thought she was a child with a very kind heart and quite shy...

Why on earth is she creating water sprays over there...?

"Oppa! Isn't that someone you know?"

Just as I was watching TV with a bewildered mind, Seo-eun, who seemed to have just woken up, came running while looking at her smartphone and said that.

"Yeah, she is..."

What reason could our kind and pure Ariel possibly have for suddenly going crazy and invading the Republic of Korea out of nowhere?

While I was watching this incomprehensible scene wondering if it was a dream.

My smartphone rang with an incoming call.

From our boss Atlas.

"Atlas?"

[Ah, Egostic! Is that you!]

His voice boomed from the smartphone.

With his voice ringing so loudly as if on speakerphone, I briefly moved the phone away from my ear and asked him.

"Atlas. Um... Ariel is here, what's going on?"

When I asked in a puzzled voice, he sighed roughly and spoke to me as if annoyed.

[Ariel stole my army and submarine without saying anything, disappeared, and now she's doing that! She's been going out alone a lot lately which made me uneasy, and then she left just a note saying she was going to see you... Sigh, she's my daughter but even I don't know what she's thinking. I apologize on her behalf. I'll explain that this is her independent action unrelated to Latis...]

"I understand, Atlas."

I smiled and spoke as if reassuring Atlas, who was already speaking in a very angry voice.

I roughly understood what was going on.

"I'll step in and talk to Ariel, then keep her with me. Don't worry."

[You will? Thank you so much. Sigh, I feel bad for always causing you trouble. I'll make sure to compensate you properly...]

"Not at all. Ariel is like a niece to me, so of course I should."

After reassuring Atlas, I ended the call.

And immediately after, another urgent call came in.

...From Busan's A-rank hero, Lee Seol-ah. A call from Icicle.

"...Hello?"

[Da-in!!!!]

As soon as I answered the phone, I heard Lee Seol-ah's tearful voice.

With the sound of wind indicating commotion around her, Lee Seol-ah spoke almost like a wail.

[Da-in, didn't you say that villain Atlas's Latis had a treaty with us? Then why on earth is his daughter here...!!]

"I wonder that too."

I said as I got up from my seat.

Meanwhile, Lee Seol-ah's voice continued.

[I mean, you know... I have to step in, but how am I supposed to stop her...]

Listening to Lee Seol-ah's almost tearful voice, I put on my coat and said.

"I got it. I know that woman causing the terror, so I'll try to handle it. I'll be there soon, so just hold her off a little longer."

[Really? Da-in... you're all I have, sob sob.]

After reassuring Lee Seol-ah who was pretending to cry, I immediately looked for Eun-wol.

"Eun-wol, by any chance..."

"Yes, oppa. I'm ready."

And the moment I turned around while speaking, Eun-wol was already there smiling at me, dressed in her priestess outfit and fully prepared.

...Before I could even speak, she had already figured out what was happening and gotten ready. As I always think, Eun-wol is really perceptive and reliable.

Anyway, holding Eun-wol's hand, I turned around and said.

"Seo-eun, I'll be back soon!"

"Oh, right now? Where are you...?"

"Where else would I be going?"

I smiled as Eun-wol activated a magic circle behind me and said.

"Busan, of course."

Let's go.

To comfort our teenage niece.

***

"Ugh..."

Busan.

Under the blue sky, in that coastal city where fragrant sea breezes rolled in.

Lee Seol-ah was gritting her teeth as she flew through the air.

"Why... why is this happening in Busan...!"

Having discarded her suit, she was now wearing a comfortable t-shirt and pants, her light blue hair fluttering as she kicked off ice platforms between buildings to fly toward the coast.

Although she was the CEO of Yu-seong Group and the shadowy figure controlling the Republic of Korea from behind, she was also the A-rank hero Icicle.

When such a major terror attack occurred, she had no choice but to appear as Icicle. It was because of public perception. After all, the reason she had high public support despite being a young corporate CEO was partly because she was a hero.

Still, it hadn't mattered much until now.

There hadn't been many major terror attacks in Busan anyway. Strangely, in the Republic of Korea, villains all seemed to gather in Seoul, so terror attacks mostly occurred in the capital region, leaving her with little to do.

And even those few villains were all in the information Egostic had provided, so it was essentially just for show. Occasionally when they caused terror attacks, stepping in as Icicle to suppress them had quite a good promotional effect. A young female corporate CEO hero defeating villains made for perfect news stories. Of course, most hero-related articles were about Stardust...

Anyway, for Lee Seol-ah, who had been contemplating how to control the Republic of Korea in her spare time today, the sudden invasion of a foreign S-rank villain specifically targeting Busan was shocking.

Tsunamis, merfolk... the coastline had become a complete mess.

Fortunately, they hadn't penetrated deep into the city center yet, but it was still a concerning situation.

[Madam CEO. We've evacuated all city residents for now. And regarding the Yu-seong Squad members and emergency protocol...]

"That's fine. I'll handle this myself, just make sure there's no additional damage."

[Understood. Then...]

After ending the call from her secretary coming through her earpiece, Lee Seol-ah sighed while running.

...Another problem with this villain who had appeared was that she was an acquaintance of Egostic. Because of that, it was awkward for her to respond "forcefully." In the end, the best option in this situation was for her to step in personally to maintain her image.

And seeing that the villain causing this terror was female, the situation was obvious without even looking.

"Da-in... sigh."

...What could she do? Her soul partner had a talent for turning all human relationships into romantic ones. Hadn't she herself fallen victim to those clutches?

It's a battle where the one who likes the relationship more loses.

Fluttering her flowing hair, Lee Seol-ah finally arrived at the beach.

And what unfolded before her eyes.

KWAAAAAAANG

A truly overwhelming wave.

The Yu-seong Corporation's plasma barrier, which had been built because monsters kept coming from the coast after the previous Moonlight Gate incident, was holding it back to some extent. But even that looked like it would break at any moment.

In conclusion, she as Icicle needed to stop it for now.

"...Ugh."

...Could she stop that?

Standing on the frozen sea surface, Icicle swallowed hard as she watched the massive tsunami approaching with tremendous force.

Although she was the A-rank hero Icicle, in reality she was closer to the businesswoman Lee Seol-ah than a hero. This was her first time experiencing such a large-scale terror attack. Even her ability itself was almost nothing compared to Stardust, who had now become S-rank.

...Still, she had to try her best. And the opponent was clearly someone with water manipulation abilities. Since her ice powers could freeze water, she obviously had the advantage in this matchup! ...Probably.

And so.

"Hyah!"

Toward the overwhelming tsunami about to engulf the city, Lee Seol-ah released ice power from her hands.

CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE

Simultaneously, the massive wave began to freeze from the center.

"Nnngh..."

As Icicle used all her strength, she finally succeeded in completely freezing the giant tsunami.

"Ugh... no, really..."

Perhaps because her ice ability wasn't particularly strong to begin with.

The precariously swaying frozen tsunami made an ominous cracking sound.

As Icicle desperately tried to hold on.

CRASH!

Finally, as the ice collapsed.

The massive wave ultimately engulfed where Lee Seol-ah was standing.

"Ugh..."

As Lee Seol-ah hurriedly tried to block her front with what little ice power she had left, just before she was swept away by the wave.

WHOOSH.

Someone embraced her from behind.

Before she could even realize what was happening, the scene before her changed and she was looking down at the waves from high in the sky.

After staring down at the tsunami in bewilderment, she finally noticed something and turned around with a smirk.

And there, as expected.

"It's been a while, Ms. Icicle."

Her partner, Da-in, was there smiling while wearing his mask.

***

At that same time.

[Breaking news! It has been confirmed that Egostic has appeared in Busan...]

"...As expected."

The Republic of Korea's S-rank hero Stardust was flying through the sky with her blonde hair fluttering, listening to the news coming through her earpiece.

Hearing about a major terror attack in Busan, she immediately went to help.

...It was absolutely not because she knew Egostic would be there.

And so.

In Busan, a mysterious four-way encounter was about to take place.