Chapter 372 - Determination

"No!!! Why are you being crazy! I clearly with you... Argh!"

BOOM!

In downtown Seoul.

I was in the middle of slaughtering a villain who wouldn't listen to me.

Reaper. The iconic psychotic serial killer from the original work.

I gave him a chance to rehabilitate at our Kathedal, but that ignorant fool refused to follow my words.

As such, it's only natural for me to dispose of him as an executive of Kathedal, right? Hmm. It couldn't be helped.

*

[???hahahahaha]

[Hey teacher, Reaper says he has something to say~]

[The answer was already decided lolololol]

[Just listen to the kid for once lmao]

[Hahaha if you were upset you should've spoken up sooner~]

[This is the most villain-like thing you've done recently]

[Damn this is good lol]

*

...I'll edit the chat and video later.

I quietly thought to myself while breaking into a slight sweat.

I mean, how could I possibly accept him? He's a madman who kills and tortures people for fun.

Anyway, now I need to focus on disposing of him.

I concentrated on holding him in place with my psychokinesis while driving every weapon I brought into his body.

"Arrrgghhh!!!"

"Hey, Ego. Need help?"

"...Just a moment. Let me try my best first."

But there was a slight problem—he wasn't dying easily.

Thanks to his Beast Transformation ability strengthening his body, he was enduring the firepower from all the guns I'd gathered, though clearly in pain.

It was bad enough that Choi Se-hee, who had followed me and was watching from behind, whispered that to me.

Hmm. So I can't just set up an auto-hunting meta with weapons without using much of my power?

Having made that clean assessment, I stopped all the firearms with my left hand, then grinned as I raised only my right hand.

"Alright. Let's try this."

With those words, I raised my hand and then brought it down sharply.

Along with that motion, Reaper's body was suddenly lifted into the air.

BOOM!

And then slammed into the ground.

Maintaining my smile, I kept waving my hand, using psychokinesis to smash him into buildings left and right.

Yeah, this is it. This is what being a powered person feels like...! I'd almost forgotten I had psychokinesis. Anyone watching might think I could fly.

Of course, there was the issue of my stamina rapidly depleting while doing this... Ah, I'm going to be coughing up blood when I get home.

*

[Wow, why is Egostic so strong now???]

[Damn, thanks to inflation or whatever, we get to see Mango taking the lead. Now I can rest in peace...]

[Is this the true power of a Kathedal executive..? Wow]

[The chat is like parents gushing over their kid at a school performance lol]

*

...As I was excitedly attacking, I calmed down after seeing the surprised reactions in the chat.

Right. This should be enough. I've become somewhat of a decent person after all.

Let's leave the rest to Se-hee.

"Urgh..."

I pointed at the (former) serial killer lying half-dead on the street and said to the woman behind me.

"Electra. Finish him off."

"Got it."

As I said that, Choi Se-hee stepped forward with a grin.

As she finished speaking, she stretched out her hand.

FLASH!

BOOM!

"Gaaaargh!"

With a thick bolt of lightning that looked like a missile strike.

After a blue flash, he turned to ashes and disappeared.

Reaper, the doppelganger who slaughtered so many in Korea and killed tens of thousands in the original work. Gone so pathetically here.

Sending him off with one blow like this felt like easily lifting a heavy burden.

"Phew...! We've dealt with someone who refused to follow the order of the new era. How tactless of him. If there are any other villains watching this video, I'd appreciate it if you came to us first so I wouldn't have to come find you. Thank you!"

After flashing a smile and giving a thumbs up to the camera, I was about to turn and leave with a flutter of my cape.

...And that's when it happened.

"...Egostic?"

She arrived just as I was about to leave.

When I turned around at that all-too-familiar voice, there she was.

Stardus.

She descended from the sky with her blonde hair flowing and stood in front of me.

...Judging by the blood-like stains on her suit, she must have been late because she was catching another villain.

*

[Gasp]

[The official wife makes a late appearance omg]

[Is this where it really begins!!]

[Whoa]

*

"...What's this?"

And at her appearance, Choi Se-hee beside me began glaring at Stardus with intense wariness.

Of course, Stardus paid no mind and just looked at me with puzzled eyes.

She probably rushed over wondering why I suddenly took action, but after arriving at the scene and seeing the other villain collapsed below, she seemed to understand the situation. That I was out doing my usual villain hunting.

...After looking at the sprawled (former) Reaper below with a slightly complicated expression, she briefly flashed a resigned smile that only I could see.

Then, returning to her usual expression, she asked me.

"Egostic. What exactly have you done?"

"Haha! I was trying to do some recruiting, but this person refused. So I taught him a lesson."

"...Trash."

As we were having this back-and-forth.

"Ha! Who are you to criticize our Egostic? The nerve."

...Suddenly, Choi Se-hee pulled me toward her protectively and said that.

Seeing me suddenly close to Se-hee, Stardus's face hardened for a moment.

...But then, whatever thought crossed her mind, she relaxed her expression and responded with a leisurely smile.

"Right, I apologize for criticizing 'your' Egostic."

"...What's with you?"

Choi Se-hee frowned in confusion at Stardus's relaxed smile, when she had expected her to tense up or get angry.

Seeing her looking up at me and signaling with her eyes to leave quickly, I nodded and spoke to Stardus again.

"Well! Too bad. We still have a lot to do. So then...!"

As I said that.

"..."

Just as I turned off the camera and Choi Se-hee turned her head.

Stardus gave me a slight eye-smile as if to say goodbye.

"..."

I also gave a small nod, and we parted ways like that.

...No, at this rate, we might actually get caught. Will this be okay..?

***

After dealing with Reaper as well.

I was able to return home with a much lighter heart.

There's a saying about internal and external affairs.

You need to strengthen the inside before you can be effective outside. Just as Korea is my home, I need to handle matters here before I can be active abroad.

Although I had many things to do to prevent the end of the world as an executive of Kathedal... first I needed to prevent the destruction of Seoul. And I had done that now.

So now.

Having secured the home front, it was time to start working abroad in earnest.

"...Sigh."

I sighed while looking at the calendar.

The Sun God's descent to destroy the world.

Until then, I needed to find a way to stop the Sun God and prevent the world's destruction.

Quite some time had passed since Phase 4 began.

The time remaining until the Sun God's descent was.

"One year."

Yes.

One year.

About one year remained until the Sun God's descent and the bad ending of world destruction from the original work.

It seems long, but it's actually a very short time once it passes.

Before then... I needed to prepare to stop a god.

To defeat a god with a human body.

'...Of course, Stardus will be the one to actually defeat him.'

But there were preparations to be made before that.

Defeating him isn't the end. First, we need to prevent the Sun God from destroying the world. The moment he descends, he'll use all his power to destroy the world as quickly as possible, like a speedrun.

And.

To prevent the world's destruction.

Turning Celeste's heart was the top priority.

'...Let's see. Time until the next Kathedal meeting.'

I muttered while looking at the calendar.

The Kathedal meeting. More precisely, the time when Kathedal would expand and transition to executive meetings.

From now on, each of my actions would directly influence the future and had the power to change the world.

The god must die.

I must make it necessary for the god to die.

Therefore, I needed to start persuading others now. So that others could follow my ideals. So they would agree with the coming of a world without gods.

With such serious thoughts, I entered the living room. To think about the agenda to present at the next Kathedal meeting.

Just as I was about to speak to everyone.

[Shocking! Stardus X Egostic romance rumors reignite! Is it real this time?! What's behind this eye-smile Stardus showed!!!]

...That's what was broadcasting on the TV in the living room where everyone was gathered.

As I froze for a moment at the sight.

"Ha! What did I tell you. Ridiculous."

Seeing this, Han Seo-eun chuckled and changed the channel with the remote.

Then, seeing me who had just arrived, she spoke with amusement.

"Ha, there's so much fake news these days, oppa. Like you dating Stardus. Pfft. What nonsense, right?"

"...Haha. Yeah. Funny."

...As I was answering in the most calm tone I could manage, Seo Ja-young, lying next to Seo-eun, smiled and muttered.

"Exactly. If Da-in really did that, would he be standing here so calmly now?"

"That's right. Hahaha!"

...Looking at them laughing like that.

I quietly broke into a cold sweat.

Perhaps, that wasn't the only thing I should be worried about...