Chapter 27: Only one of the Four can be chosen

“WHAT?! You’re going to cut off my arm? Jeong I-seok! You little sh*t!!”

In the end, insults erupted from Ji Sehwa’s mouth. She had been holding it in until now.

“What? You’re included in the condition too. If you cut off your arm, I’ll accept it.”

“I-seok, even if that’s the case…”

Kang Ye-rin’s voice trembled. She looked around at the other members.

Shin Yu-gyeong was silently standing with her arms crossed.

“Hey. Why are you all quiet? Shin Yu-gyeong, Choi Min-seo! Say something!”

Ji Sehwa snarled, but still, there was no response. Instead, both of them only stared at Ji Sehwa.

Ji Sehwa also looked down at her right arm.

“Sh*t… If it comes to this, I might as well… No, what the hell am I saying? I’m crazy! I’m crazy!!”

Ji Sehwa took a step back. There was one person who did not take her eyes off of her. It was Choi Min-seo.

She slowly got up and started walking toward Ji Sehwa.

“What’s this? You’re not stopping?”

Choi Min-seo moved as if she were entranced. Kang Ye-rin tried to stop her by grabbing her arm.

“Min-seo!”

Smack! Choi Min-seo shrugged off Kang Ye-rin’s arm.

“…Why are you stopping me?”

“Why am I stopping you? Are you out of your mind?! What do you think you’re doing? I-seok was just angry and said something rash…”

“You want it too, Ye-rin unni, don’t you?”

Kang Ye-rin bit her lower lip. She looked at Ji Sehwa, and conflict was clearly visible on her face.

“You… you little sh*ts.”

Ji Sehwa activated the transformation switch. In her hand was the Leviathan Sabre. The blue blade glowed, a warning that she would swing it if anyone came close.

“Haah… Haah.”

Ji Sehwa’s breathing became erratic. Her gaze flickered. The hand holding the sabre was her enhanced left hand, but her eyes kept drifting toward her right arm.

“…Hah!”

In an instant, Ji Sehwa gritted her teeth and spun the sabre, bringing it toward her arm.

“Ji Sehwa!”

“Sehwa-ssi!”

Ji Sehwa’s hand trembled, and blood began to flow from the cut on her arm, drawing a line across her skin.

“It’s mine!!”

Smack!

Choi Min-seo pushed Kang Ye-rin aside and lunged at Ji Sehwa. As Min-seo charged, Ji Sehwa hesitated until the last moment.

Eventually, Choi Min-seo tackled her, and they both tumbled to the ground, struggling. Shin Yu-gyeong and Kang Ye-rin tried to pull them apart.

Cute little things.

It reminded me of the pillow fight we had when we went on a trip together.

“I-seok! I-seok!! Someone stop them!!”

Kang Ye-rin screamed.

I wasn’t really interested in what was happening behind me. I had been rummaging through Pegasus’ corpse for a while now.

“This is it.”

It was a switch in the shape of the Milky Way and sparkling stars.

‘Supernova Switch.’

An item dropped by the villainous officers. It’s of the same type as Excalibur. That one was dropped by the Lancelord from the Dark Kingdom.

For a hero team, this item could be attached to the transformation gear to power up.

Villains can’t use it immediately; there’s a process to extract the power.

But right now, I had another use in mind for it.

A giant space battleship was visible in the sky.

I had to head there from now on.

“I-seok! I-seok… huh? The switch?”

Shin Yu-gyeong reacted to the word ‘switch.’

“Did you acquire this switch from Pegasus?”

I laughed at them.

“What? You’re still fighting?”

“You! It’s because of you! What are you doing with my arm…!”

Jisehwa’s voice quivered, and her eyes filled with tears.

“Did you seriously believe that? I’m not a psychopath, and there’s no way I’d accept an apology for something like that.”

At those words, the movement of the four of them came to a sudden stop.

“You guys have seen me for how long, and you thought I’d be some crazy bastard who’d be happy seeing a chopped-off arm?”

“That’s not it…”

“That’s unnecessary from the start. But I can tell that, compared to the others, at least one of you is sincere. Hey, Minseo.”

“Eh? Eh?”

Minseo was startled when her name was called.

“Since it’s busy now, come find me later. Of course, alone. If you have something to say, I’ll listen.”

“Ah…!”

A big smile appeared on Minseo’s face.

From the start, I had been listening to these idiots’ nonsense just to lure out Minseo.

Pestam.

I needed to get that ingredient back, as it would become the ultimate weapon against the Galactic Empire.

For Minseo to return it to me, she needed to know where I was.

A physical issue.

Currently, Pestam is most likely kept in the most secure place of the Hero Association.

That place is so secure that even Vengeance or Elena, the head of the Divine Kingdom, could hardly infiltrate.

So, the easiest way is for Minseo to retrieve it herself.

“Hey, you promised…! I’ll definitely come see you! Oppa, Uiseok!”

Minseo flashed a smile, as if the tear stains on her face were fake.

It seems like Pestam’s addiction is progressing faster and more severely than I expected.

As expected, the number of people experiencing their happiest moment in life is extremely small.

Pestam makes people relive their happiest moment, embedding it into their subconscious and making them crave it.

It breaks the boundary between memories and reality, replacing the present with the past.

Even I would surely become a wreck if I used it even once.

I would end up endlessly repeating the happiest times with Somi in my dreams.

I’m certain that the happiest moment in her life was in the early stages of the Dragon King Sentai’s formation.

And during that time, I was there.

I was deeply involved in Minseo’s life.

So, once she gets addicted to Pestam, I was sure her dependence on that moment would grow and she’d come looking for me.

Since she’s the one keeping it, reusing it isn’t a problem. The amount is massive, so even if she uses it, it won’t be noticeable.

Seeing her reaction now, it seems the plan is going well.

But of course, I’m not planning on indulging her forever.

Once I get Pestam back, that will be the end.

Minseo is going to be finished soon enough.

As Pestam’s toxicity increases, when it reaches its limit, the side effects will consume her.

Still, it seems like it’ll be fun playing with her for a while.

I’m thinking of doing what they call “raising and dropping” her.

“Okay. Come and see me, for sure.”

“Yeah!!”

I casually responded and began manipulating the switch.

“Why are you using that switch…?”

“Do you need to know?”

“Do you have a way to fight the Galactic Empire?”

Shin Yookyung’s question. I answered bluntly.

“No.”

“What?”

Jisehwa frowned.

“I said no. Do you know? My face may look fine, but I’m practically a corpse right now. Dr. Hyun is a genius. He actually brought a dead person back to life.”

“That means…”

“You saw it just now, right? Beating Pegasus wasn’t because of power, it was strategy. The Emperor of Raptor? Haha. I could never win against him. I’ve gotten weaker. I’ve lost almost all of my strength. Thanks to you guys.”

“Ah…”

Kang Yerin’s lips trembled.

“So, from now on, I’m going to their spaceship.”

“What… What are you saying? Didn’t you just say you couldn’t win? What if you die again after barely coming back to life?”

“What are you talking about? If I die, it’s a win for you, right? It’ll be easier for you to manipulate the media.”

“No… No, that’s not…”

I activated the switch. A pillar of light surrounded my body.

“Well, you’re not even listening to a word I say. Did I say I came here to die? I said I came here to live.”

“Then…?”

“I’m going to negotiate. With that bastard, the Emperor.”

My body lifts, connected to the spaceship by a pillar of light.

“W-wait! There’s still so much I need to say! Don’t run away! I still don’t know! Whether you’re right or I’m right, I don’t even know what this damn feeling is!!”

Ji Se-hwa starts to have a fit.

“As you said, Jeong Ui-seok, show some responsibility. There are still things left for you to do as the Red of the Dragon King Squadron. You’re not really going to cut ties with us, are you?”

Shin Yu-kyung is still blabbering nonsense.

“Oppa! I’ll come to see you again! I’ll be waiting!”

Choi Min-seo happily waves her hand at me, like a dog.

“…Sorry….”

Kang Ye-rin mumbles, unable to speak properly anymore.

Yeah.

Red Dragon Jeong Ui-seok has no emotions to share with you all.

The quiet revenge is,

Zeorgius’s.

I raised both middle fingers at them.

“We’ve been together, it was filthy, and let’s never meet again.”

Pah!

I shot towards the spaceship.

I tried to hold back, but as expected, it didn’t go as planned.

I was excited, angry, and consumed by emotions.

Unconsciously, my tone reverted to how it used to be.

I pulled myself together.

Right now, I’m heading straight into enemy territory.

I put on my helmet and surveyed the pillar of light. The sensation that brushed against my skin felt far more chilling than the wonder of the mysterious technology of the universe.

It felt like being digested and broken down in the intestines of the beast known as space.

Soon, my vision changed. I was inside a grand building. Numerous monstrous warriors stood before me, holding spears, blocking my way.

This must have been where Pegasus was supposed to return.

“It’s a sad thing. To dare step on this sacred ship after bursting the brainstem of the great Galactic Empire’s Order Commander. Your intellect is quite primitive.”

A wolfkin female monster with black skin stands at a high position.

A high-ranking officer, Saint ‘Eridanus.’

“The one with low intelligence is you.”

“What did you just say?”

“I am the Red Dragon. The guest Emperor Lector has been searching for. Is this how the Empire welcomes its VIPs? If this is your own decision, it’s an imperial insult. The commander of the Order even broke Emperor’s orders and invaded 20 days earlier. Is this how you show your loyalty to the Empire?”

“You, how dare you, inferior species…!”

Eridanus trembles in anger, trying to raise her arm when a low voice resounds.

“Hahaha! Stop it, Saint. That spirit is definitely the warrior I’ve been looking for.”

“Your Majesty!”

“If he has the ability to defeat the Commander of the Order, then he’s definitely the one. Bring him before me.”

“As you command.”

Eridanus suppresses her anger, and the warriors retreat. I follow her guidance down a corridor.

Inside the ship, fitting for an Empire, it felt like stepping into a fantasy kingdom, with a touch of space-age design that made it feel like I had entered a world of illusions.

We reached the enormous door, filled with soldiers. The door opened. Inside was an even larger hall, with officers standing on both sides. In the center was a raised platform.

On the throne sat the man.

Emperor Lector.

His gaze looked down on me, shining across the galaxy.

Now, let’s begin.

The negotiation to make Vengeance the strongest organization.