Chapter 59

〈Chapter 59〉 Part 1 Chapter 4 (16)

– Masquerade copies stats, appearance, and everything else. Since it can’t copy anything above the user’s C rank limit, bringing in a B-Rank Hero as a teammate makes them easily conquerable. (Likes 2, Dislikes 7)

ㄴ Next newbie. A B-Rank Hero would just walk right into Chapter 1, wouldn’t they? Just call out Princess Snow?

ㄴ Their social affinity is A-Rank, so if they start at A-Rank, isn’t that basically Meta○ approval?

ㄴ Well, how are you supposed to stop someone who gets copied just by looking at them? -_-

Two weeks after the release of Azure Death Dinass.

* * *

KOOONG!

Chopyo’s steel fist swings. The main assembly hall door shatters, and the woman struck by the fist rolls down the corridor.

“……”

The veil around her neck blocks all external attacks at the source. But for areas not covered by the veil, defense is weak.

“Where did you get such an artifact?”

Chopyo enters the main assembly hall while licking his lips. Despite being struck by a fist that could crumple thick steel plates, the woman in front of him hasn’t spat out a single drop of blood.

“……”

The woman doesn’t say a word and touches her mask. It seems she intends to hide her identity until the end.

“It’s too late, Cheon Gaeul.”

“…!”

The woman, Gaeul, bites her lips inside the mask. Though her identity has been revealed, she cannot remove the mask.

“Don’t ask how I knew. I’ve seen you since the moment you leaped out of the window.”

“……There’s one thing I want to ask.”

Gaeul adjusts her veil. Chopyo glances at his smartwatch and nods.

“What is it?”

“The massacre happening in Dongjak now—do you know about it?”

Gaeul points at her throat. Chopyo touches the pine tree pattern engraved on his neck and laughs.

“Of course I know. That’s why we came up to Seoul.”

“…You’re heroes! You’re supposed to save people and defeat monsters!”

Gaeul clenches her fists.

Pine Tree Brigade.

Like evergreen trees standing tall through all seasons, they were reformed criminals with upright spirits and minds, working for this country and its people. Rehabilitated individuals always smiled and served the underprivileged in New Seoul.

But it wasn’t true.

Outside the confines of New Seoul, their appearances were nothing but hypocrisy and lies. At their core, they were fundamentally criminals and murderers.

“Tch. If only you had quietly kept up your act in New Seoul, you could’ve lived peacefully.”

Chopyo clicks his tongue and turns his shoulder. In the burnt-out main assembly hall, Gaeul was like a rat trapped in poison.

“I don’t know whether you were hiding it or if you awakened here in Seoul. But no matter how high your magic power may be…”

Chopyo leaps. Gaeul hastily jumps aside.

“Your death won’t change.”

KWAANG!

The floor of the main assembly hall explodes. Though Gaeul dodges Chopyo’s punch, her body sways from the shockwave.

“This is a common mistake made by newbies who have just awakened.”

Chopyo adjusts his stance and throws a straight punch from his spot. The wind pressure imbued with magic power engulfs Gaeul, and the cutting wind ruthlessly slashes any exposed parts not covered by the veil, leaving bloody cuts on Gaeul’s body.

“You’ve awakened your magic power, but you don’t know how to use your special ability properly.”

Chopyo lunges forward again. Gaeul struggles desperately to move her body, but her legs feel frozen and won’t budge.

The terror of being one-sidedly beaten. From Chopyo, the shadow of a purple monster could be seen. The same monster that had tried to kill her back in the parking lot.

“!!”

Instinctively, Gaeul raises both arms to protect her head. Chopyo’s punch slams directly onto the arms Gaeul raised.

KOOONG!

“……Hmph.”

Blood flows from beneath the mask. Though instinct saved her from the full impact of the punch, she should have moved her body to avoid it entirely.

“You’re not a body enhancement type, yet you only know how to strengthen your body using magic power. Like now!”

Chopyo lifts his leg. His iron-like leg shines as he kicks Gaeul, still covered by the veil, sending her flying sideways.

KAANG!

The sound of metal clashing against metal. Chopyo feels a strange sensation from the kick.

Through the torn clothes, Gaeul’s revealed skin is covered in steel, just like Chopyo’s.

“Who said… I didn’t know my own abilities?”

Gaeul’s eyes behind the mask flash. Her pupils swirl endlessly with grayish magical power.

“I’ve heard it day and night until my ears bleed!”

Gaeul swings her fist. Though lacking combat experience, her wild punches reveal fists covered in steel just like Chopyo’s.

KAANG! KAANG!

Each time Chopyo and Gaeul’s fists collide, a piercing sound echoes. The clear metallic clang fills the main assembly hall as two superhumans clash with fierce expressions.

Gaeul wildly swings her fists and kicks, while Chopyo steps back like a boxer, dodging and counterattacking.

At first glance, their brawl appears evenly matched.

KAANG!

Gaeul pushes Chopyo away with both hands. Though his vital spots remain untouched, the guard formed by his crossed arms is slightly dented.

“Haa, haa, haa!”

In contrast, Gaeul’s entire body is covered in bruises. Though her vital spots protected by the veil narrowly avoided hits, Chopyo persistently attacked her exposed arms and legs. The moment her steel skin deactivated, the impacts left bruises.

“How surprising. How could you awaken the exact same ability as me?”

Chopyo shivers. The opponent seemed to have copied his ability perfectly.

“Haa, huu.”

Gaeul leans against a desk, panting heavily. The metallic taste of blood lingers in her mouth.

“…”

A mixture of blood and saliva lands on the floor of the main assembly hall. Gaeul fixes her mask again. White mask stained with blood.

Chopyo cracks his neck side to side.

“Give up. If you stay still, I’ll send you off painlessly.”

“Do you even know how much pain the people in Dongjak are enduring?”

“Wow, what a great hero you’ve become. Do you really think you can save anyone wearing that mask?”

“You won’t know unless you try!”

Chopyo clenches his fist. Gaeul lowers her stance again.

If both abilities and magic power are similar, naturally the battle’s outcome depends on experience. It’s only natural that Gaeul, a civilian, would be overpowered by Chopyo.

Still, Gaeul never gave up her resolve. Right now in Dongjak, the superhuman members of the Pine Tree Brigade must be massacring innocent citizens.

She couldn’t protect them when she lacked strength. But now that she has strength, she can protect them.

“Alright. Since I often watched those dramas, I’ll give you a chance.”

Chopyo raises his index finger and points at the veil.

“Take off that protective gear and come at me with full strength. If you manage to land a hit on me, I’ll let you go peacefully.”

“Would I fall for something like that?”

Gaeul heightens her senses. The opponent’s expression, movements, gestures, and even the magical aura emanating from him—she reads every emotion from this composed adversary, finding no falsehood.

Chopyo is genuinely making a bet. Gaeul hesitates, fidgeting with the veil.

“…”

It’s hard to do once, but easier the second time. Still, Gaeul doesn’t lower the veil.

“Can you really trick me with such a shallow method?”

“Yeah, but judging from our fight, you haven’t awakened for long, have you?”

Chopyo smirks. Like a fierce leopard eyeing its prey, he opens his mouth wide.

“Doesn’t your magic power boil within you until you feel like going insane? Doesn’t vitality flow through your whole body, and your heart race with intoxication from your own magic power and special ability? Don’t you feel like boasting? ‘I’m a superhuman! I’m this strong!’ Isn’t it like a drug? Everyone who awakens to special abilities feels the same way. They want to show off their strength.”

“Villains are usually this talkative, aren’t they?”

Chopyo holds his stomach and laughs.

“KHAHA! I’m a registered hero of the nation! And you’re the superhuman trying to stop my mission—a villain! Who can call either of us villains?”

“If killing innocent people makes you heroes, then I’d rather just be a villain!”

Gaeul smashes her fist onto the nearby table. Her steel fist shatters the table in one blow.

Chopyo’s eyes gleam. The opponent’s special ability has grown more refined and stronger. It’s a sign that she’s becoming more accustomed to using her powers.

“This fight is getting interesting.”

He smirks, clashing his fists together, then licks his lips regretfully.

“But sorry, we’re busy right now.”

SQUEAK—

Gaeul suddenly turns around in surprise.

At the entrance of the main assembly hall, a woman releases her bowstring. Beneath the scarf around her neck, a pine tree tattoo peeks out.

SQUEAK—!

The magical arrow slices through the air. Gaeul quickly reinforces her body with magic power and raises her veil to block the arrow.

Suddenly, the arrow curves sharply.

THUD.

“Aaah…?”

Gaeul bites her lips at the pain felt from her back. The arrow drawing a curve pierced her from behind, stabbing her heart.

“Of course, Robin. The master archer who freely controls the trajectory of arrows.”

“Newbies are easier to hit than apples.”

Gaeul’s body collapses. The magical arrow vanishes into light.

Chopyo approaches Gaeul and bows his head. The gray glow swirling in Gaeul’s eyes gradually fades.

“Why did you run out? If you had stayed hidden, you might have lived a little longer.”

THUD.

A river of red blood flows down the hallway of the main assembly hall.

* * *

The curtain falls.

All the stage lights turn on, and the audience begins to gather their belongings and leave their seats. Even as the staff roll continues to ascend, Gaeul remains seated.

Cheon Gaeul. Age 28.

Awakened to special abilities but was assassinated by the Pine Tree Brigade heroes. Died from excessive bleeding in the main assembly hall of Yeouido National Assembly.

That was the end of Cheon Gaeul’s life.

“Ah, ah, aaa.”

Gaeul grabs her hair and bows her head. Tears welling in her eyes drip down, wetting her thighs. Regretful, regretful, but there’s no turning back.

Cheon Gaeul is dead.

“How does it feel to die?”

An audience member sitting to the right asks. The woman who looks exactly like Cheon Gaeul wears a black-and-white mask on her face.

“Angry, wronged, feeling like you’re going crazy, wondering why you did it. Why didn’t I just stay hidden?”

“Shut up…!”

Gaeul raises her head. Masked Cheon Gaeul, sitting one aisle away, points at the staff roll.

“Twenty-eight years of life, fourteen years as an actress, and less than ten minutes as a superhuman. Maybe the second act that could’ve started anew ended just like that.”

Masked Cheon Gaeul points her finger at the screen. The scene from the main assembly hall moments ago rewinds.

“You needed to stay calm. Under the pressure of saving people and the excitement of gaining power, you failed to reflect on yourself. Do you really think being an A-Rank superhuman is special? How many A-Ranks are there in South Korea alone?”

“I know that!”

“You know it, so why did you do it? If you knew, you shouldn’t have acted rashly.”

The gray light in the video Gaeul’s eyes fades. Her pupils lose focus, and blood continues to flow from the wound in her heart, reaching the end of the main assembly hall.

– Cheon Gaeul, confirmed dead. What shall we do now?

– Leave her alone until we find the item. Afterward, we’ll set fire to the National Assembly again. Did you find anything unusual?

– We haven’t checked the chamber where Cheon Gaeul appeared yet, but there seems to be some kind of magical barrier.

– Let’s go. Jackpot.

The man Gaeul fought and the man who killed her leave the main assembly hall. Just before completely losing consciousness, Gaeul lies flat on her back, extending her hand toward the blurred ceiling.

– Mi…sorry…

THUD. Her arm falls to the ground. It was undeniably real death, with no way to restore her body with magic power.

“What exactly are you sorry for?”

“……For various things.”

Gaeul bows her head. Tears continue to fall from her eyelashes to the ground.

“For not being able to save people, I’m sorry. For not returning alive to my parents, I’m sorry. And….”

Masked Cheon Gaeul rewinds the video forward. The blue monster that appeared in the chamber tidied up Gaeul’s veil before disappearing again.

SNAP. Tears fall from Gaeul’s eyes.

“For acting recklessly…and feeling like I betrayed someone, I’m sorry.”

“So, knowing all that, why did you do it?”

Masked Cheon Gaeul removes her mask. The woman, much older than Gaeul with many scars on her face, smirks mockingly at Gaeul.

“Now that human Cheon Gaeul is dead, there’s no more chance to apologize.”