Chapter 263: Last Beliefs

Chapter 263: Last Beliefs

"Hmmm..."

A giant dragon, engulfed in scorching fire, roared through the air over South Korea, while above him, Stardus gracefully dodged its flames and continued her offensive.

The people watching in real time were understandably excited to see their hero in action.

*

[Stardus is so cool.]

[Stardus punch! Stardus punch! Stardus punch! Stardus punch]

[Stardus form is crazy]

[Korea's other GOAT...]

[Wow, did she just dodge by diving down from the top of the flames?]

[Korea's alpha is Egostic and omega is Stardus, a national treasure couple]

[Broadcasting talent Stardus, who saves even her male colleagues, she's a morality book]

[But Stardus, what is she thinking while fighting?]

[She's probably fighting with such intense focus that she's not thinking about anything but how to deal with the enemy]

*

Stardus, who was fighting the enemy with such a fiery gaze.

"Hmph...."

'...What in the world is he thinking?'

She was thinking about something that didn't seem to have much to do with the battle against the red dragon summoned by that Chinese villain Li Xiaofeng.

She had heard of Li Xiaofeng. Roughly speaking, he was a Chinese Egostic.

And when he vanished in a burst of flames, that giant flaming weapon began to move.

That dragon, she was told, is the product of a great power that has allowed him to rise to such prominence in China.

'...I get the feeling he's being a bit lenient.'

Yes.

She kept getting that feeling.

No, she didn't know what to call it. It's like he's purposely making his attacks very regular...? Like he's testing something out.

And if what she was feeling was true, maybe that means....

'...Egostic made him do it.'

Yeah.

She was forced to make that judgment.

And then there was that gaze from earlier

"...Huuu."

...watching.

With that thought, she dodged another flame.

She didn't know what the hell he was thinking but she was certain that he was watching her...

There was even a vague notion that perhaps facing that villainous dragon would mean a great deal to him and to her, some kind of test.

And as she continued to think about it.

[Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh]

" Ugh..."

She ducked as another blast of flame from the red dragon flew in front of her.

Okay.

First of all, she didn't know what it is, but if she catches that dragon, what will be Egostic reaction?

That's what she decided.

One corner of her mouth lifted, and she clenched her fist.

'Okay. I don't know what you're thinking, but I'll play along.'

With that, she took a deep breath.

'Stardus, you need to dodge to the right here!'

Somehow, she thought she could hear the echo of Egostic in her ear.

She flung herself to the right, dodging another blast of flame.

...And just when she thought she had it figured out, she had a bit of trouble with that dragon, which had somehow gotten stronger.

***

While a red dragon is rampaging and terrorizing, inside one of the containers around the area that despite its ramshackle appearance, it was covered with various high-tech devices and monitors I set my headphones down with a satisfied smile.

"That's it."

"Da-in, are you done?"

"Uh, I think I've got all the data-worthy stuff now."

At the same time as I said that, the printer next to me was working on an impromptu basis.

I took a drink of water and flipped through the paper that came out of it.

I flipped through the paper, sipping my water, and saw the results, which ranged from Stardus' current heart rate, fatigue, and other health-related predictors, to a score for her combat and evasion abilities.

The calculated results were slowly falling into my hands.

And when I saw it, I smiled with satisfaction.

"That's it. This is it..."

Stardus, you've gotten stronger.

I looked at Stardus as she stomped on the Chinese dragon, and I felt such fondness for her.

Is this the same Stardus that could barely stop a train in the beginning? I'm so excited...

[Cryaaaaaaaaaah!]

I didn't even need to look at the numbers, I was already impressed by the screen.

Against the backdrop of a blue sky, a red dragon was setting the entire expanse ablaze, while a yellow glowing Stardus was battling a being that looked like it was hundreds of times her size.

Of course, that was just a dragon Li Xiaofeng had created for testing, using only 60 percent of his power, but it was still impressive enough. After all, the government's official method of dealing with the dragon was to take it down by force of numbers, not one-on-one, so kudos to Stardus for standing up to it alone.

Anyway, there you have it, Stardus' power is more than enough for the moonlight battle. After all, Stardus' special power is the key.

In other words, Stardus' body is already ready for the disaster.

Therefore, I asked Li Xiaofeng to fight more fiercely as if it was no longer a test, in order to keep Stardus' sense of realism.

The result: a burning sky and bombs exploding everywhere, like a kaiju movie.

-Pfft. Pow, pow, pow.

Oh, the building melted. I'm supposed to pay for that.

Oh well. I'm going to spend some money again today. Terrorism is all about money.

Anyway, I watched the video of Stardus' fight with a satisfied smile on my face. The viewers are responding well. Mmm, good, good, good.

When I was nodding my head like that.

"Wow... there it is again. Da-in's puzzled expression."

"...."

I couldn't help but cough in disbelief as Seo-eun looked at me with wide eyes.

A prankster...Seo-eun wasn't like this, she's grown up and she's become crooked.

As I was crying and playing with Seo-Eun, the terror was finally over.

"Well..."

Normally, I would've ended it like this and gone home to clean up the mess.

'...Still. If I don't see Stardus today, I won't see her again until Catastrophe Day.

Yeah.

Maybe I should go ahead and give her a final pep talk.

That's what every Archenemy I know would do in this situation. Yeah.

I grabbed the masks from my desk and said to Seo-eun, who was doing the final cleanup.

"Seo-eun, give me a minute. I'm just going to finish the broadcast."

"Sure. See you later."

With that, and Seo-Eun's permission, I put the mask on my face and walked out of the container.

I teleported straight to where Stardus would be to say one last goodbye to her before the end of the year.

***

"Hmph..."

In a large clearing beneath an empty city center Stardus landed on the ground, breathing heavily, and looked up, panting.

[Chhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!]

She had finally defeated the strange dragon in aerial combat.

Somehow, she'd found an opening to land a blow, and she'd managed to slay the red dragon.

It twisted in midair, and with a cry and a burst of flame, it vanished.

Perhaps that didn't kill the dragon, but merely canceled the summoning of the villain, Li Xiaofeng, but a victory was a victory.

...Is it over?

Just when she thought so, she gasped.

"Well done!"

A voice descended from the sky, clapping and laughing.

"Egostic..."

"Yes, it's me. Well done, Stardus."

With a grin, he flapped his cloak, and landed on the ground as gracefully as he had come.

And he was...He was definitely smiling.

"Well, well, well, now you've taken down one of China's leading villains. Isn't that great?"

"...It is."

Breathing heavily, she replied as she tried to think of something to say to him.

Egostic suddenly looked serious and said

"You're right, there are very few heroes who can defeat that dragon, not even on a world scale. You should be confident, Stardus. You already shine."

He chuckles, looking her straight in the eye as he says it, as if it's a given.

And at the sight of him speaking with such sparkling eyes, Stardus swallowed hard for a moment.

...What, is this a new method of mental attack? Haru, get a grip. You can't play at his pace...

Still, it's the first time I've ever heard him say that to my face, so I'm a little....in a frenzy. And his words, spoken with such purity and sincerity, hit home even harder.

Wait. Why am I getting so worked up about a villain praising me for stopping terrorism...? I shouldn't be...

As Stardus paused in her thoughts, Egostic continued, still smiling.

"Anyway... I didn't come here to talk about this. Stardus, I want you to remember this."

At the suddenness of his words, Stardus said with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

"...What is it?"

"I'm a villain."

She didn't know if he was an asshole because he was a villain, or if he was an asshole because he was terrorizing and didn't show his face until the end, or if he was an asshole because he came back at the last minute and changed his mind. She wasn't sure of her own mind, so she didn't sound so much pouty as angry.

Of course, Egostic simply smirked and let the petty name-calling slide.

"Not at all, Stardus."

"...Perhaps, by the end of the year. I think something will happen."

Then at the last moment, he says it with a serious face and with him setting the tone, Stardus became serious as well.

"...What's going on? Do you know something?"

"I don't know anything... let's just say it's a villain's instinct for smelling danger, whatever."

Having said that, he smirked again, as if he hadn't been serious before, and turned around to speak.

"I hope you're taking care of yourself, Stardus, as the weather is getting colder. I don't want my hero catching a cold."

"...Wait. It's the end of the year, or something?"

She asks, looking at his back as if to tell him not to change the subject, and he considers for a moment before turning his head to look at her and smiling.

"Uh, yeah. I think there might be something, something big, maybe, something so huge that might change the world."

"What? Wait, so I'm not-"

"Knowing now won't change anything, but..."

He left it at that still smiling, but more serious than ever.

Looking straight at her, he opened his mouth.

"Stardus, you can do this."

"No matter what catastrophe befalls you, Stardus, my Arch Enemy, the one I trust. It's enough. You will overcome whatever comes your way."

The look in his eyes as he said it overflowed with trust in her, and her body stiffened at the sight of it.

"...And when that moment comes, I'll be there to help. Haha, when my partner, the hero, is in danger, it's only right that I, the villain, help right?"

He chuckled, and said that.

Seeing that, Stardus couldn't help but look at him with a smirk of her own.

"...What's natural about that, fool...?"

...Yeah. I don't know what it is, but it's something.

Stardus smiled to herself, forcing herself to let that thought go.

***.

That evening.

"...What is it, me, asshole?

"Uh-huh..."

"Ouch. The dyne is broken."

I lay there, shocked by Stardus' words.

Stardus...I guess she hates me. Thank God. I'm glad.

In my dreams, I heard Stardus' voice criticizing me...