Chapter 5

1.

“Ah, come on! What’s all this racket supposed to be!”

“I know, right? Suddenly Sentum Tower is paralyzed….”

“Haa, lately nothing goes according to plan! The president suddenly stopped responding, and that infuriating junior has disappeared without a trace!”

Millennium Academy’s Student Council, otherwise known as ‘Seminar,’ Treasurer Hayase Yuuka was venting her frustrations to her friend Ushio Noah while dealing with the increasing workload.

Normally, Noah would have responded with a carefree smile, but even she seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation, replying to Yuuka with a somewhat weary expression.

“I wonder where those two have gone off to.”

Yuuka and Noah sighed deeply as they thought of the other two members who should have been present.

Somewhere along the line, Rio, the Student Council President, had started acting unusually, as if preoccupied with something else. When asked if there was any particular issue, he refused to reply.

The junior, Koyuki, who had been transferred in by Yuuka, was typically carefree and whimsical, so her disappearing act wasn’t a big surprise. However, given the current state of Kibaratos, it was impossible not to worry.

For this reason, the Seminar room was filled with the constant background noise of news updates from Millennium Autonomous District, the D.U Central Autonomous District, and other regions.

[We will now connect with a live reporter on the scene. Reporter Sinon?]

[Yes! This is the D.U Central Autonomous District. Due to the Sentum Tower shutdown, a state of lawlessness persists, leading to continuous unrest!]

[Is it true that the Kaiser Corporation’s forces are ignoring local autonomy laws and have privately sanctioned the use of force against residents and criminals?]

“…This is insane…”

“The Kaiser Corporation… wasn’t it once a renowned conglomerate active in many fields? I’ve heard rumors that it’s not as clean as it pretends to be.”

“A company that struts back and forth between legality and illegality, willing to suck you dry for their gain.”

Yuuka immediately slammed her hands on the keyboard in frustration as she listened to the news.

As members of the Millennium Student Council, Yuuka and Noah were fully aware of how despicable and deplorable Kaiser Corporation’s actions had been, making her judgment valid.

Noah didn’t dispute her friend’s assessment. In fact, she silently agreed wholeheartedly.

The two focused on the breaking news as they realized that a private corporation had gone so far as to act out in such a manner, within the Central Autonomous District, which was under the jurisdiction of the Student Council.

Despite the questionable reliability of Cronos News due to its reporters’ antics, the charisma of its reporters continued to draw public attention.

[Ah! Right now, soldiers bearing the Kaiser PMC insignia have begun active suppression by firing their weapons!]

“Maniacs! How can a mere corporation dare to…”

“…This would have been impossible before.”

BOOM. Screams. Threats.

With ruthless and merciless force, the Kaiser soldiers branded passersby and civilians who disobeyed their orders as suppressible elements.

Just then,

[Uh? Uh? What’s that over there?]

“…What is that?”

“Where did that come from just now? The sky?”

A scene that made not only reporter Sinon of Cronos News but also Yuuka and Noah watching the news raise their eyebrows appeared on the screen.

“Is that a mask? What’s that person doing?”

And then…

BOOOOOM─!!

The punch thrown by an individual wearing a mask utterly destroyed the Automata attempting to suppress them, and the voice of the masked individual echoed through the news.

[“I have arrived to punish evil.”]

[“To deliver punishment to those who create chaos in this city.”]

And the subsequent images were so shocking that they would forever be etched into the memory of everyone who watched the news.

A Hero.

This was the moment Kibaratos’ friendly neighborhood Hero made his debut.

2.

[Inscribe fear and terror into the Central Autonomous District.]

The President, the head of the Kaiser Corporation, gave this directive to the PMC soldiers prior to launching the operation.

He explained that this order would lay the foundation for the corporate city he envisioned.

The fear of corporations would easily ensure the city’s submission once they claimed dominion over it.

Thus, the PMC soldiers, under the guise of suppressing unrest, aggressively and mercilessly attempted to make their name known within the Central Autonomous District.

Regardless of whether the targets were criminals, civilians, or students.

For those who weren’t students, the threat of firearms remained constant. Citizens could do nothing but fall helplessly or be trampled under by the armed PMC soldiers carrying numerous guns and weaponry.

“What… is this nonsense!”

…Occasionally, there were individuals who overstepped their place, sprouting up like weeds.

But dealing with them was simple.

“Are you defying our regulation now?”

“Needless to say… this is not control but violence! To begin with, this Central Autonomous District is not a place where you can just act without permission-”

Thud!

“Kuuuuaaaaah!”

“Noncompliance with regulation and inciting disorder. We’ll attempt to suppress this identified criminal who led this situation.”

“That… that’s an outrageous justification… Aaah!”

“Quiet. If you don’t want to get hurt further.”

Look at that.

No matter how stubborn they may be, a little pressure makes them scream and collapse, doesn’t it?

This proves the limits of such people.

“President’s vision for this city was truly-”

Just as the PMC soldier started praising the grand strategy given by the President and was about to swing the butt of his rifle at the fallen citizen,

Crrrak-!

Suddenly, a white substance—perhaps a spider silk—flew from somewhere, attaching itself to his leg and stopping him in his tracks.

Moreover, whatever the mysterious white substance was, it swiftly reached the rifle, and as it was quickly pulled, the PMC soldier was disarmed without resistance.

“Wha… what the-!”

And just then,

“Huh?”

“Who are you?”

“My rifle!”

Suddenly, someone swinging white threads from the sky glided down rapidly. Like the one who had his rifle snatched before, this person started launching white strands at other soldiers, one by one, taking away their rifles.

Stunned and confused, the soldiers whose rifles were taken, including those who were oppressing the citizens, stared silently at the scene.

The moment they were about to yell for the mysterious person to land,

Kuung─!

The mysterious masked figure,

let go of the thread in mid-air, spun somersaults, and landed lightly on top of a Kaiser PMC military truck.

One knee bent,

one arm on the ground while the other arm raised sideways.

“Superhero landing.”

A pose that would later become the young girl’s trademark.

As the imposing aura from that pose struck everyone speechless,

The first soldier whose rifle was taken spoke.

“What are you? Who are you to interfere with Kaiser’s operation!”

“Shut up.”

Crrrak-!

The moment the soldier began to speak, a white thread was launched.

The bound soldier, who had no chance to evade, looked bewilderedly at the girl.

Casual wear underneath a black coat.

And the white fox mask.

This could easily be mistaken for one of the Seven Sins, but it was different.

This entity is not a prisoner.

Which prisoner acts like this?

Then, the masked girl spoke.

“Citizens, please go home. I will handle this.”

“Who dares to…”

Anyone interfering with the Kaiser Corporation!

The soldier, who was bound and attempted to yell in fury, couldn’t finish his sentence as the girl’s fist suddenly plunged towards him.

Koooaang──!!

With a single blow, the mechanized soldier, whose mainframe instantly short-circuited, oozed oil from their body and powered off.

“…”

“What… how-”

A wave of confusion swept through the soldiers.

The girl wiped off the oil on her hand and looked at the soldiers. Then she spoke again.

“Next.”

This was the girl’s single-handed declaration to stand against Kaiser Corporation.

Infuriated, the operation commanders ordered the attack, soldiers rushed forward, but the girl remained poised.

As if she had no intention of avoiding the fight. When a soldier approached her,

Kwa-druk-!

Like an illusion, the soldier instantly collapsed, incapacitated.

The improbable scene made the soldiers’ eyes glisten with curiosity, but once they started moving, there was no stopping them.

The girl simply thrust her fists.

With that, Kaiser PMC was thrust into a nightmare they’d never forget.

Kwaang!

Ka-druk-druk!

She demolished machines with every punch, dodged the rain of bullets with monstrous agility, and swiftly subdued the Kaiser PMC soldiers using various terrains with her white thread.

Even soldiers who lost their rifles tried to fight back with auxiliary weapons, but…

“Wha- what is this thing-!”

“Kkkaaaah!”

From all angles – front, back, left, and right – the barrage of bullets.

With superhuman reflexes, she read every trajectory and evaded them all.

Moreover, with the launch of white threads, she bound soldiers together, smashed their faces, and even used a manhole cover pulled by the thread to deflect incoming bazooka shells.

Her movements and reflexes were far from human.

By the time every solder was overwhelmed with fear,

“Reinforcements! The reinforcements have arrived!”

The PMC, analyzing the situation through news updates, started sending additional support. The operation that started as disorder suppression now shifted its goal – the mysterious masked insurgent’s sudden appearance.

However, no one at this site cared about that shift. Or rather, couldn’t care.

The masked girl had cunningly infiltrated into the psychology of the Kaiser soldiers, making them fixate solely on her. While she, unlike them, focused purely on aiding citizens and suppressing Kaiser’s soldiers.

The fiercer their attacks grew, the more attention turned onto her. Simultaneously, the more their attacks threatened civilians, the clearer her righteousness became.

It was a simple principle.

Of course, the girl genuinely acted to rescue the citizens. Whenever the Kaiser soldiers carelessly attacked or when the attacks threatened to spill over onto the citizens, she immediately responded, blocking the attack and protecting the citizens.

Each intervention more prominently highlighted the evil nature of the Kaiser PMC, making her the righteous counterpart standing against them.

To reveal the true colors of the enemy and her own convictions more clearly,

The girl fought even harder.

For all the media watching and capturing the moment, making both Kaiser and the girl the center of attention.

Moreover,

“Go Masked Hero! Smash those bastards!”

“The wicked Kaiser bastards! Reduce them to pieces!”

“Hoo-rah!”

To have the people recognize her as a hero and cheer for her.

Every action she took was calculated, nearly akin to a stratagem.

“Attack! Just shoot! Even if citizens get hit, it doesn’t matter – just do it!”

“But sir! Isn’t that-”

“Shut up!”

Tudadada-!

Their failure. The failure of Kaiser.

The actions they enthusiastically started were now turning into poison against them.

They only rushed in to capture and bring her down.

Seeing this, the girl smiled slightly behind her mask.

“Quite angry, aren’t you?”

Then she pulled out the depleted capsule, replaced it with a new one, and adopted the combat stance of Spider-Man from the movies.

The moment, akin to feeling like a hero from the movies.

“Whew…”

This moment. This exhilaration.

The cheers and encouragements echoing behind her.

The gazes of all watching, cheering her on.

Her heart raced. Her chest trembled.

It was a different kind of trembling from the awe of watching heroes.

By giving to the good, punishing the evil, and ultimately prevailing.

The path of a hero is arduous and sorrowful, but now she understood why heroes resolutely forge ahead.

“This is what responsibility feels like.”

She realized the weight pressing from behind.

With great power comes great responsibility – the famous quote from hero stories.

While keeping that in mind, the girl exhaled.

No, the woman who had now become a hero,

Slowly exhaled and focused her spirit.

“Righteous acts invigorate strength, and determination renders pain insignificant.”

That’s why heroes are soon invincible and immortal beings.

They can gladly traverse the countless thorny paths before them.

“Thus, impossibility does not exist.”

Neither bullets nor bombs aimed at the hero can harm her.

That’s why she fearlessly advanced,

stretching out her arms,

shattering the weapons and bodies of all approaching soldiers.

“Haooaaa-!”

Using the spider silk to glide through the sky, tossing off enemies, bundling them up with the silk to knock them down, and pulling distant enemies closer to break them.

No matter how many enemies approached, she stood firm and knocked each one down.

And finally,

“Woooaaaahh-!!”

“Masked Hero! Masked Hero! Masked Hero-!”

“Thank you so much!”

“Wow-!”

The hero triumphed.

“Haah. Haah.”

As the battle ended, I looked up at the sky with difficulty.

In the distance, a small dot approached.

Looking at the Valkyrie helicopter coming after everything was done, I genuinely felt what it was like to become a superhero.

“Haha. This cliché happens in any world, doesn’t it.”

Now was the time to leave gracefully,

like a hero.

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