The President held Momo as a hostage, a blade pressed firmly against her throat. He looked at Nagant with a gaze that froze the air.
"Stalling because you couldn't handle a single target? Honestly... the 'Sniper Hero' really has gone soft. Or have you developed a heart all of a sudden?"
The Commission President sneered at Nagant. Behind him, Momo was held firmly by several large men, yet she remained remarkably composed even as the President moved the dagger closer to her neck.
"You're quite calm, Miss Yaoyorozu... Is it because you've been kidnapped once before?"
"You... you are the President of the Hero Public Safety Commission. Do you truly believe you can get away with such a crime?"
"What a disagreeable girl. Usually, they're crying and begging for their lives at this point."
Momo looked at him with cold reprimand. In response, the President clicked his tongue and waved the dagger inches from her eyes.
"You bastard..." Michikatsu growled, the sound vibrating from deep in his chest.
"Don't move, Kokushibo. One step closer and your little fiancée's life is forfeit."
"You degenerate filth..."
Michikatsu's teeth ground together, but he remained still. With Momo's life on the line, he couldn't afford to be reckless.
"What... is your objective?"
"For you to die, of course. You've grown far too arrogant. I need tools that follow orders, not sentient things that question every command."
Both Nagant and Michikatsu let out hollow, dry laughs. The man wasn't even bothering to wear his mask anymore; he was spitting out his true, hideous intentions without a shred of shame.
"This is the worst..." Momo whispered, her voice laced with pure disgust. "To think a man like you is a public servant funded by this country's taxes. It makes my skin crawl."
She looked at him as if he were a maggot. To her, his ideology wasn't just incomprehensible—it was a perversion of everything a Hero was supposed to stand for.
"I'm a man aiming for the seat of Prime Minister. You should be flattering me, shouldn't you? No matter how powerful the Yaoyorozu conglomerate is, you can't survive without the backing of political giants. If the media turns on you, you'll collapse in an instant. This is the moment where you should be sucking up to me."
"Vulgar... low-life... I would rather take my own life than bow to you!"
The President's expression darkened at the sight of Momo looking at him like a parasite in a cesspool. Infuriated, he swung his hand and struck her across the face. The sound of the slap echoed sharply through the park.
"YOU BASTARD!!!"
Veins bulged on Michikatsu's forehead as he drew Kyokuseibo and surged forward. But the President instantly pressed the blade into Momo's neck, drawing a bead of blood. Michikatsu was forced to skid to a halt.
"Wise choice, Kokushibo. A second more and I would have opened her throat."
"You... Do you think you will walk away from this alive...?"
Michikatsu's jaw was clamped so tight it felt as though his teeth might shatter. He was experiencing a level of rage he had never known before.
"Well, that remains to be seen. Regardless... this girl is quite the annoyance. Usually, they'd be panicking by now."
"You underestimate the daughter of the Yaoyorozu family," Momo said, her voice steady despite her swelling cheek.
Her gaze remained unbroken, filled with a defiant light. Irritated, the President struck her other cheek, yet she continued to glare at him with silent contempt.
"Ha! Still defiant? Let's see if you can keep those eyes once I leak the 'dark deeds' of your beloved Husband!"
A twisted, malicious smile spread across the President's face. He looked from Momo to Michikatsu.
"How about it, Kokushibo? Shall I recite your list of sins right here in front of your fiancée?"
"...So, you finally intend to cross the line."
"Ah! Ah! Put the sword away, Michikatsu. Or else... well, you know what happens."
As Michikatsu's hand gripped the hilt of his blade, the President pressed the knife harder against Momo's throat. Michikatsu let out a breath of pure fury and slowly pulled his hand away from the sword.
"You... you really are less than a maggot. Trash doesn't even begin to describe you," Nagant spat, her face contorted in a grimace.
The President merely shrugged and turned his attention back to Momo. He looked forward to breaking her spirit, savoring the moment her face would crumple in despair as she learned the truth about her fiancé. It was the perfect script—crush her, watch him fall into agony, and then kill him.
"Michikatsu Tsugikuni, known as Kokushibo, was nothing more than a cleaner for the Commission! He's an assassin who has spent his days killing people in the shadows!"
The President made his grand declaration. For a moment, Momo just blinked, looking as though she hadn't quite understood the words.
"What... did you say?"
"Your fiancé is a murderer! Just like Lady Nagant over there!"