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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: A Lesson for Meteel
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The expansive, gaping abandoned factory.
Sunlight streamed in through several holes in the ceiling. The massive doors of the factory, where all of our Ego Stream members were waiting, were blasted open.
And then, the person I had been waiting for finally appeared.
"Hahaha... Fuckers."
The woman who walked in, cursing from the front.
Long gray hair, exotic features, and sharp eyes, she fixed a mad gaze on me. This was Meteel, the S-rank American hero I had been waiting for today.
"Ha... Hahahahaha!"
"Well, they say laughter brings good fortune, and you're certainly laughing quite auspiciously. Hahaha!"
She just laughed upon entering, so I returned her laugh, only for Meteel's face to instantly freeze, as if she had never laughed at all.
"Hmph... Oh... Her expression changes really fast."
"...Shh!"
Seo Ja-young mumbled blankly upon seeing it, while Choi Se-hee jabbed her in the side, as if telling her to be quiet.
Regardless of what the two behind me were doing, Meteel curled the corner of her lips again and let out a smirk.
"Ha. Hahaha. You. Yes, how long I've waited for this moment."
Meteel spoke with a confident smile on her face.
I stood still, a smile on my face, and listened to what she had to say.
I mean, she wouldn't have much time left to look so confident anyway. I could at least indulge her a little.
As I was thinking that, she continued to speak, still wearing a sinister smile.
"You all... you underestimated me, didn't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have called me to a deserted place like this."
Meteel looked around at the Ego Stream members surrounding me, speaking with a smirk, as if she wasn't scared at all, but rather found them amusing.
Watching her shake her head and mutter, "funny...how hilarious...", I threw in a remark of my own.
"My, my, you're certainly brimming with confidence. Good. Very good."
And since she'd probably just keep going if I left her alone, I added a bit of provocation.
"But come to think of it, didn't you charge at me with all that confidence last time, only to get utterly crushed? Hahaha! Haha..."
"Shut up!!"
As if my words had hit a nerve, she let out a loud shout, stomped her foot, and unleashed rocks.
K-k-k-k-k-k-k-crack!
Sharp rocks erupted in a continuous line from where she stood all the way to my position.
Of course, having anticipated this, I effortlessly moved my body to dodge.
In my previous spot, menacingly sharp stone spikes had shot up. Dodging them was easy, but if I had been hit, my body likely wouldn't have remained in one piece.
Unlike the smaller rocks she had thrown at me before, these clearly showed an intent to kill.
Sensing this, Choi Se-hee's expression hardened upon seeing such a lethal attack erupt where I had been. She was about to charge out in anger, but I stopped her by grabbing her shoulder. It wasn't time to step in yet, not yet.
Regardless of what we were doing, Meteel seemed to have composed her momentary surge of emotion, regaining her composure.
She then smiled leisurely again, letting out a smirk.
"Yes... yes. No need to get angry. After all, today will be the last moment of your short lives anyway."
She was absolutely overflowing with confidence.
Well, in truth, it wasn't surprising that she was acting this way.
Because she had a trump card up her sleeve.
Meteel, who had been smiling with her hand on her chin, then raised one hand and declared grandly:
"I'm tired of this, let's just finish it quickly."
"Taste the judgment of the heavens."
The moment Meteel spoke, countless energies began to swirl around her.
As she stretched her hand upwards, winds raged, and an unspoken energy pierced through the factory roof, extending into the sky.
Rumble-rumble-rumble.
In the sky, accompanied by a sound of something splitting apart.
A gigantic meteor.
Suddenly appeared in the sky above the factory.
THWOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
It was truly a scene straight out of the apocalypse.
A boulder large enough to effortlessly obliterate this entire factory was plummeting from the sky towards us, making an incredible sound.
Its overwhelming size, dyed red as it blotted out the sun, was falling. I wore an expression as if I had stopped breathing, watching it.
Perhaps she had used too much strength summoning the meteor, as she was struggling, clutching her right arm. Yet, Meteel raised one corner of her lips and crossed her arms again.
She opened her mouth, almost whispering.
"Do you see it?"
"This is the difference between you and me."
She spoke with utter arrogance.
And in reality, it was an overwhelming ability that made her arrogance seem entirely normal.
The massive rock falling through the sky was truly a sight to make one's blood run cold.
Seeing it directly overhead felt like the end of the world. By the time it hit the factory, this entire area would likely be completely leveled.
The overwhelming pressure from it was hard to believe had come from Meteel, who had only been throwing small rocks until now.
How many villains had been futilely swept away by this ultimate technique of hers?
It was, as she had repeatedly emphasized, the true majesty of an S-rank hero.
And in such a cataclysmic situation.
I.
Simply grinned.
"....? Why are you grinning?"
To Meteel, who looked at me as if thinking, 'Is that bastard losing his mind now that he's in trouble?'
I clapped my hands, still smiling, and told her:
"Meteel, that's amazing. Truly amazing. Meteora! I've heard about it, but seeing it in person is quite a spectacle."
"Ha. You still have the nerve to laugh, I see."
The raging wind, the heat already palpable.
Standing beneath it, my cape fluttering in the wind, I spoke to her, who still looked so confident.
Still smiling, I continued.
"Oh, whether it's an asteroid or a meteor, it's fine. It's good, but..."
"Even that, after all..."
"It's just a big rock, isn't it?"
"What nonsense..."
Meteel asked me, frowning.
No, Meteel, my dear Meteel. I know you're a great S-rank hero, but...
We already have four A-rank villains and two S-rank villains.
Do you really think we wouldn't have prepared for something like that?
"Alright, everyone, fire."
Thinking that, I spoke to the Ego Stream members waiting behind me.
And at that moment.
*Flash-*
"What the fuck..."
The moment Meteel mumbled that.
Everything I had prepared beforehand began to activate simultaneously.
*Whirrrrrrrrrrr*
*Boom. Boom.*
Small missiles, which Seo Eun had attached to the factory walls and brought from the Weapon Master's armory, launched, piercing through the roof.
"...Hmph."
The magic Eun-wol had prepared activated, and a massive magic circle appeared before the meteor.
"Hyaaaah!"
Choi Se-hee's enhanced lightning struck the meteor directly above the factory.
And then.
*Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzt.*
*Crack!*
*CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!*
From above, a deafening roar of something continuously exploding, as if in the middle of a warzone.
Simultaneously, a yellow light flashed in the sky above, casting everyone in shadow.
*KABOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM-*
And then.
*Pop.*
*WHOOOOMPH!*
With an immense reverberation that shook the ground.
That massive meteor was utterly shattered.
The giant rock that had been plummeting from the sky just moments ago had completely vanished.
Instead, small rock dust rained down like snow.
I turned my head again, looked back at Meteel, and grinned.
"So... what else do you have for us?"
*Pffft.*
I asked Meteel, my eyes curving into a smile, still chuckling.
Meteel, her eyes wide as if she couldn't believe the situation, seemed to be trying to comprehend what had just happened.
Finally, as if she had processed the situation, she glared at me, her eyes flaring with renewed fire, and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Th-this... this..."
"Hmm? Nothing else?"
"FUCK!!!!!!"
She cursed almost screaming, attempting to summon another meteor.
But of course, having just summoned one that large, there was no way she could create another of the same magnitude consecutively.
*KABOOM!*
The rock summoned in the sky, half the size of the previous one, was naturally suppressed as soon as it appeared, intercepted by Eun-wol's magic circle and Choi Se-hee's lightning before it could even get far.
Her body still trembling uncontrollably, she glared, her eyes wide with disbelief.
...I mean, I know your meteor is powerful, but it's six against one right now. Did you really think we'd go down that easily?
Of course, it *was* an S-rank hero's ultimate move, so it took our top forces all working together to barely shatter it.
But the conclusion was that Meteel's ultimate technique was now useless. And while she was a bit drained, we were still perfectly fine.
Hmm, Meteora. I hadn't thought of it, but it's not bad. This could be useful against Stardust. Not Meteel's modest rock that just demolishes a factory complex, but if we brought in one big enough to really flatten an entire city... wouldn't Stardust's power grow significantly stronger when blocking it? She stopped airplanes, so why not a meteor?
While I was having such carefree thoughts, Meteel, trembling violently in front of me, began to spew rocks convulsively and charge at us.
"FUCK YOU!!! I'm gonna kill you all!!!!"
As she charged with terrifying momentum.
I simply smirked and told my Ego Stream members:
"Alright, now. Everyone, attack!"
"Hmph... So, we finally get to fight?"
At my command, Seo Ja-young stepped forward, breathing fire.
Choi Se-hee rushed in, wreathed in electricity.
Desik, who had emerged from the ring, wielded a greatsword and charged with a "Kwahahaha!" laugh.
Eun-wol activated the magic circles she had laid on the ground, making them glow, and began the serious fight.
Even Seo Eun, targeting all the weapons she had set up nearby on Meteel, began her assault.
"Kuaaaagh!!! You despicable bastards! Come at me, all of you!!!!"
And so.
The Ego Stream members' all-out assault on a single hero began.
When fighting an opponent you can't beat alone... it's just 'common sense' for a villain to call in their comrades and fight together, isn't it?
I casually wiped under my nose, simply thinking that.
Yes. This is what a top-tier villain does.
And so, the 1-on-6 battle truly began.
***
No matter what, she was still an S-rank hero, I suppose.
Even in a fair fight, not a surprise attack, Meteel was incredibly strong.
Despite surely being exhausted from using her ultimate move, she was astonishingly holding her own against six people simultaneously.
However, even that eventually came to an end.
"Haa... Haa... Got her..."
"Wow, she's damn strong."
"Kuaaagh... Get your hands off me, Fuckers!!"
After a fierce battle, Meteel was finally restrained on the ground.
She tried to resist, but there was no way for her to escape, exhausted as she was after the fight. From the start, she had already used her abilities to their limit, appearing unable to do anything more.
"I'll kill you all!!"
She kept squawking.
Regardless, I looked down at her, lost in thought.
Meteel.
She was a major variable, one not in my plans.
As an S-rank hero sent from America, the central nation of heroes, her danger level was top-tier from the start.
Furthermore, she already harbored strong hostility towards me, so if I let her go like this, there's no telling what she might do.
And I'd heard from Lee Seol-ah that she even showed hostility towards the Korean Association, including Stardust.
However, I couldn't eliminate her here.
If I did, the American Association might intervene, and reducing even one hero's combat power is never a good idea when considering the future.
In other words, the best solution here was:
To make Meteel willingly leave Korea and never even *think* about challenging Ego Stream again.
And to thoroughly crush her, warning America as well.
To show them that we're doing just fine here, and if they interfere unnecessarily, they'll only suffer casualties.
In short, to protect South Korea.
I had to completely break Meteel here and now.
"Good work, everyone. Mist and Electra, you can go rest. Only our Moonlight Priestess needs to stay."
"Okay... I'm out. Ugh, I'm exhausted."
"Alright, and Meteel, could you spare a moment for me?"
"You..."
She glared at me with blazing eyes, then shouted at me with a voice full of resolve.
"No matter what you do, I, Meteel, will never surrender!!!"
"Yes, yes."
She was truly shouting at me like a crusader for justice.
Hmm. So stubborn. This might be a bit difficult.
But I had no choice. If I wanted to send Meteel away in one piece, I had to completely change her personality.
And so, the first "Bad Hero Personality Reformation Project" began.
"....Kuaaagh!! Do you think I'd yield to something like this!!!"
"Kuaaagh!! You bastards, I'll kill you all!!!!"
"Kugh. You Mother Fuckers!!"
"......? What are you... Hyaaaaaagh!!"
"W-wait..... Just a moment... Wait..."
"Hey. Uh, over there. Just a moment. Can't we... can't we resolve this with, with a conversation...? Just a moment... H-h-heeek!"
"....I-I-I'm sorry. I-I think I was wrong, so please forgive me, *hiccup*??"
"Sorry... I-I was wrong... *hiccup*, I was wrong, so please..."
***
And so, time passed.
With tears in my eyes, I did my best to restrain the American hero who threatened my country, for the sake of South Korea.
After the first hero education session had progressed to a certain extent, I gently asked Meteel, who was now keeping her eyes down before me.
"Alright, our Meteel. What should a hero do when there are hostages?"
"Heeek! Uh, th-that's... H-heroes, when hostages are taken, First of all... must prioritize rescuing the hostages, and if that's not feasible, they must at least take the hostages and r-run away."
"Good job. And before confronting a villain?"
"You must th-thoroughly assess the villain's capabilities, study about that villain beforehand, find the best solution, and then act; you must not act r-recklessly."
"Good. What about South Korea?"
"Korea? Ah. S-South Korea must never, ever think about invading again in the future, and I must live a quiet hero life in America. No, I-I *will* live. Quietly, *hiccup*, I will live..."
Hmm, is this enough?
I tilted my head, watching Meteel, who was speaking well despite trembling.
"Alright, then. Hand."
"H-hand..."
I spread my hand flat and placed it before her, and she, not understanding anything, instinctively placed her hand on top of mine.
Watching Meteel, who still looked anxious and glanced up at me with trembling eyes, I thought to myself.
Hmm... I guess this might be enough?
As I was thinking that, Seo Eun, who had been watching the scene from behind, quietly whispered to me.
"Uh... Oppa. Hasn't this person's personality changed too much...?"
To Seo Eun, who asked as if wondering, 'Is this really okay?', I replied.
"It's fine. She needs to change this much for Korea to be safe. Right, Meteel?"
"Huh? Yes, y-yes! Of, of course!"
Watching Meteel respond so briskly, I quietly nodded. Good. This is enough.
Finally, our thug-like hero has become good!
I felt proud.