Chapter 18: The Villain at the Top is just a Woman

“Are you the boss of Vengeance?”
“Wasn’t it Dark Matter?”

The people gathered at Pier 7 stir. Even Elena, who is hiding her face behind a fan, seems caught off guard as she quietly looks down at me.

“Enough chatter. Shall we start the meeting? If you want a seat, this will do. I don’t have a hobby of sitting on piles of money.”

A giant, one of the men, rises from his seat and walks toward me.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but I can’t accept it. Even if you’re the real deal, a coward who hides behind the backside of such a kid doesn’t deserve to participate in Pier 7.”

With that, the giant opens his mouth wide, pulling out a huge club from his stomach. The extended club is easily four meters long, with rough iron spikes on both sides.

“I am ‘Gangwan,’ the boss of ‘Bul & Dozer.’ You’ve heard of me, haven’t you?”

“SSS-class villain. The leader of the hardline terrorists who turns everything he touches into steel.”

“You know well. I don’t know if you gaslighted or roasted Dark Matter, but this is no place for parasites like you. Don’t worry, I’ll spare your life.”

I turn my head toward Elena.

“Let me ask one thing. Would showing my power here be considered an act of hostility toward you all?”

Elena scoffs at my question.

“Warriors’ sparring always heats the heart. Feel free to show it.”

“I can’t control my strength too well. Is it okay if Gangwan dies?”

“Your tongue may be like a snake, but I’ll repeat it. I’ll kill you.”

Enraged, Gangwan grips his club tightly. As an SS-class villain, I don’t want to kill him just yet, but it can’t be helped.

“Transform.”

[Up a blind alley]

The red dragon takes form. With that, the battle begins.

“Huh!”

Gangwan, surprisingly quick for his size, charges at me. The steel spikes on his club could shred a fragile human body with a single brush.

I counter with restrained power, closing the distance. Gangwan, flustered by the loss of his strength, is struck multiple times in his side.

He takes damage but quickly spins the club to defend himself, knocking me back.

Impressive. I can’t help but smile.

We exchange blows. The club swings, and I meet it with my fist.

Bang!

I break the steel spikes. But at the same time…

“Hmph!”

Gangwan, seeing an opening, charges forward. It seems he had a plan.

The exterior of my fist turns to steel. I can’t block with my aura. Gangwan is able to use his powers through his weapon as well.

“Good sense.”

Gangwan reaches for my face, aiming to make my brain into steel. If he succeeds, it’s either my death or his victory.

But…

Crack!

The steel around my fist shatters, and my hands open. Gangwan’s face twists in confusion, unable to predict this.

I quickly grab his arm with both hands. With a powerful headbutt, blood sprays from Gangwan’s face.

He attempts to protect himself by wrapping his chest in steel, trying to defend himself. The steel begins to spread across his body.

A prolonged battle seems tiresome.

But if I use the red of war, there’s a high chance he dies. Should I give it a try?

“Apocalypse.”

[REVOLOTION]

“Blue of death.”

[CAS■SCEROLD]

I disappear from Gangwan’s sight.

The next moment, I’m standing behind him.

I kick his back with all my might before his steel armor can fully form.

Crash!!

Gangwan is sent flying into the wall.

“…What was that just now?”

“Teleportation… was it?” “Where did that scythe come from…?” The leaders stir.

As they said, I now have a massive scythe on my back.

I don’t need to use this, though. I deactivated the Death Blue.

“…Ugh.” Kang Wan, bleeding, struggled to rise. He’s quite the tough man.

“…I concede. I admit defeat, Zeorgius. You may do with my life as you please.” “Oh? You’re not begging?” “I’d rather die than do something like that.”

He’s got some guts.

I liked that about him.

“I’ll spare you. I didn’t come here to fight. So, when will the meeting start? CEO Elena.”

Elena gave me a chilling smile, her plump lips twisting like they could devour a man’s soul.

“I don’t mind that kind of boldness, but don’t direct it at me, Zeo. As a reward for the good show you put on, I’ll let this slide just this once.”

A cold laugh followed her words.

“Now, let everyone speak. The Galactic Empire, Raniakein. What should we do about them?”

The six villain leaders discussed the Galactic Empire.

It started with analyzing their combat power and forming hypothetical scenarios.

It might seem strange for these villains to be discussing the Galactic Empire, but in reality, it made perfect sense.

Villains and monsters are often confused, but they are entirely different beings.

Villains are humans with powers who commit evil acts.

Monsters, on the other hand, are non-human entities bent solely on destroying and annihilating humanity.

For villains to commit their evil deeds, they need heroes or citizens.

To steal money, they need a central bank that prints it, and to commit murder, they need citizens who are careless about safety.

It makes sense that villains wouldn’t want monsters around, as they’re the ones who wipe out everything indiscriminately, taking away the “evil” pie the villains want to claim for themselves.

The conclusion reached by them today was that the Emperor is far stronger than the Dragon King, so if the heroes

are wiped out in a war with the Galactic Empire, then the villain alliance should start a war with the Galactic Empire

after that.

If they can’t stop the monsters, villains living on Earth will be doomed anyway. It was a logical conclusion.

However, uniting all the villains worldwide was out of the question, so they decided to first join forces with the villains in Korea.

Elena was at the center of the meeting.

She appeared to be a passive participant, but she was effectively guiding everyone with her own agenda. It was a CEO’s method of leadership. And no one challenged her.

“Let’s wrap up the discussion on the Galactic Empire. Now, let’s move on to our usual information exchange.”

This was the primary purpose of Dock 7 – exchanging information and resources to strengthen each villain organization’s power.

To extend their reach in the dark world.

“Zeo, you’re new to the dock. Got any gifts for us? It’s fine, I didn’t expect much.”

Elena was testing the waters, wondering what level of information I might offer. Based on her words, it seems she’ll disregard any trivial information from a newly established organization.

I had no intention of offering much either.

Today, I was just laying the groundwork.

“The Galactic Empire declared it will invade in 50 days.” “That’s right. Only 42 days left.” “In reality, it’s 30 days. In

22 days, one of the Empire’s high-ranking officials, ‘Pegasus,’ will fall in Suwon.” “What?” “Is that some baseless

claim?” “Believe it or not, it’s up to you. But a lot will change that day. Stock prices, logistics, the political flow. It

would be best to prepare.”

I declared it with my arms crossed.

Thus, that day’s meeting at Dock 7 concluded.

The other executives climbed the stairs, and finally, Elena descended from her mountain of money.

“That boldness is good. But if you want to survive long in this business, you’ll need to show more respect, especially towards me.”

She said, tapping my forehead lightly with her fan. If I weren’t careful, I might get sucked into those eyes.

SSS. Just one letter difference, and even I couldn’t ignore the level it created.

“CEO Elena.”

“Careless. Add the honorifics.” With those words, Elena turned her body. Her flowing hair defied gravity as it fluttered.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Elena gazed at the mountain of money.

“Things are exchanged so easily. The simple idea behind these things has ruined so many humans. The system of

capital, the illusion of stocks, the magic of loans, the trap of compound interest. The evil, murder, and wisdom of

human desire are all contained in this single piece of paper.”

Elena picked up a banknote with her long fingers, her expression almost euphoric.

“This paper can make us slaves or queens. Which one will you be, Zeorgius?”

She pressed the banknote against my chest.

I lightly released heat from my body. The banknote soon ignited and vanished without a trace.

“I am a warrior.”

“Heh, good answer.”

Elena ran her tongue across her upper lip, gazing at the mountain of money as she spoke.

“A great villain once said, ‘It’s not about the money. It’s the message.'”

She stood before the flames.

“Is your message worth anything, Zeo?”

I walked up to her and answered.

“The ‘Sky Lens’ project will fail. If you’re a woman, you should be more careful with your body.”

“…What did you say?”

For the first time, Elena, who had been exuding confidence, furrowed her brows slightly.

I turned away. The brilliant flames, her astonishing abilities, the audacity to burn such a vast fortune without hesitation, and the message it contained.

None of it interested me.

I expressed my indifference clearly, turning my back to her.

“Boss, why are you spacing out?”

Ji Sehwa was startled and looked up, scanning the surroundings. The combatants, augmented with all sorts of machinery, were like her—scraps of society with nowhere further to fall.

She looked at her left hand. Her fist was clenched tightly.

“What’s going on? The target will be here soon!”

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s go, you bastards!”

With a shout, Ji Sehwa gunned the throttle on her bike. The four-cylinder engine roared powerfully as speed overtook her.

‘Losing my left arm… What a bizarre nightmare. Ugh, I’m just imagining things.’

She brushed it off and grabbed her submachine gun with her left hand.

The Dragon King Squad, Blue Saber… No, she wasn’t even connected to the word ‘hero’ yet.

She was just the leader of a street-racing gang from three years ago, with no more relevance than that.