Chapter 5: I will take over this villain organization.

“Eeeeeck! You’re too much!”

The face of Cheolsango, looking up at me, was a mess. Sweat, tears, and battle scars covered her.

“I don’t have time to waste on thinking about such things.”

“I have a dream! I promised when I was young… the friend who died protecting me…!”

“Shut up. I’m not interested in your past.”

Realizing I wasn’t joking, Cheolsango closed her mouth.

“Are you an S-class hero?”

“You don’t need to know. Just answer the question.”

“A question?”

“The price for saving your life. Did you think it was free?”

“Th-That’s not what I meant…”

“Where is the place where villains gather most around here?”

I spoke the purpose of the question.

Local heroes know best about local villains.

Cheolsango seemed a bit flustered.

“Villains? How many of them are there?”

“As many as possible. The strongest ones.”

“U-Um… What are you going to do?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Are you going to take them all down?”

“If necessary.”

Cheolsango stood there, mouth agape, clearly shocked.

How foolish.

“Answer. Before my patience runs out.”

“Ah! Yes. There’s an illegal underground fighting ring in the next town. Villains fight each other and bet money… I’ve

heard rumors that they also execute civilians, but… we don’t have the means to crack down on it…”

Cheolsango replied with difficulty, clearly upset about her lack of power to deal with evil.

“Lead the way.”

“Will you become my master then?”

“I can send you to the afterlife. Learn from the Grim Reaper there.”

“Ah, I understand…”

Cheolsango walked ahead, dragging her feet. I released my transformation and followed her.

The underground fighting ring was filled with heat. The audience was packed, and a massive iron cage stood in the center.

There were all sorts of people watching. Villains and civilians a like. Some were high on drugs, others betting their

entire fortune desperately. Some had tattoos covering their scalps and tongues, others had mechanical limbs, and

even some grew plants from their eye sockets.

It was a diverse crowd.

I escorted Cheolsango to the entrance and sent her away. She kept trying to follow, so I kicked her in the backside. It was a nicely rounded backside.

I approached the guards at the stairs leading to the VIP section.

“I want to meet the operator of this place.”

“What? Who are you?”

“A strong one.”

“Are you an intruder? You don’t know the rules, do you? Did you just hear rumors and come here?”

“I’m guessing you want to suck up to the boss. But, an intruder has to defeat all the fighters to meet the boss.”

I looked around the arena. A villain with a massive shark head was chewing through his opponent.

“Today, it’s Big Joss. He’s an A-class villain.”

“Seems like he’s got it. Don’t piss yourself. It’s a pain to clean up.”

Rather than killing everyone outright, it was better to talk to this so-called boss first.

I made my way to the central iron cage.

Big Joss, intoxicated with victory, roared. Without hesitation, I entered the cage.

“Whoaaa! A sudden intruder has appeared! Intruder! Announcing the name!”
Lights shone on me. What’s this?

“Announcing the name!”

I guess I just need to answer.

“Ziorgius.”

“Intruder! Ziorgius! Challenging Big Joss! Betting begins!”

The holographic scoreboard flickered wildly. The crowd started cheering.

“End of round! Odds: 1.12 to 7.25! Big Joss’s overwhelming popularity remains! The match begins! The rule is simple! Fight until one side dies!”

This was easy to understand.

“Woooo!”

“Kill him, Big Joss!”

“Rip him apart!”

The madness of the crowd was overwhelming.

Their breath was filled with adrenaline.

It mixed into their blood and circulated, further intensifying their excitement.

Not all of them were villains. The majority were regular civilians.
Some were addicted to gambling, others to blood.

Despite the terrible days spent in the Dark Kingdom, it seemed like their thirst for blood was unquenchable.
How much more blood did they want to see?

A human who doesn’t even know who they are,

a person who probably has a family, friends, and loved ones—

They were eagerly awaiting the scene of someone being torn apart by shark teeth.

Is this humanity’s nature?

Is this the culture created by humans?

Garbage.

“The slaughter begins!”

“Eat him up!”

A shark’s head charges toward me.

I spoke to my heart.

“Transformation.”

[Up a blind alley]

A red cloak envelops me.

“Apocalypse.”

[DEVE_AT_O]

“Crimson of war.”

[BLUMR B■R]

I lightly swung my fist.

Thwoooom!

In the next moment,

The shark’s head disappeared without a trace, leaving only blood and chunks of flesh in its place.

The teeth of the one that had been somewhat sturdier glistened, scattered like spoils of war.

“Uhh…?”

“Eh…”

The underground arena, once full of heat, was now filled with nothing but silence.

I motioned with my fingertips.

“Next.”

“Well, looks like we’ve got a skilled newcomer.”

I was now inside the VIP room. It was a space where I could see the entire underground arena from the highest vantage point.

The left wall was made of a magic mirror, allowing a full view of the arena while preventing anyone outside from seeing into the room.

“Don’t get cocky, though. There have been many like you. Even Big Joss was one of those types.”

The scarred face of the boss spoke, a cigar hanging from his mouth. Beside him stood his subordinates, human

weapons whose entire bodies had been replaced with slaughterous machinery.

“You said your name was Zeorzeus. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything about you in the villain roster. You’ve come after hearing rumors, huh? Well, welcome. I’m Origin, the boss of ‘Shinswork.’”

So this is the underground arena run by Shinswork.

I recognized the name. It’s a villain organization that appears around the fourth scenario. They aren’t particularly important, more like a side quest.

It seems they were still growing in power since they hadn’t made their appearance yet.

“Our villain pool is vast. If you swear loyalty and join me now, I can offer all sorts of support…”
“Subordinates? No, that’s not what I’m here for.”

“What?”

“Give me your villains. If you join under me, I’ll use you as a subordinate.”

Origin paused at my words.

“Hahaha! Now, this is interesting. Well, I like that confidence.”

“Boss, should we take care of him?”

“No. I’ll handle it personally. A guy like him needs a lesson. A lesson soaked in fear. He’s drenched in arrogance,

believing himself to be the strongest without a doubt.”

Origin exhaled smoke from his cigar.

“Let me ask you something, Zeorzeus. What’s your goal?”

“To build the largest villain organization. In the process, I’ll attack the Dragon King Corps, ‘Draojer.’”

“What? You’re going to challenge an S-class hero? Hahahahaha!”

Origin laughed so hard the sky seemed to shake.

“Hey, let me share a secret. Do you know my villain rank? It’s S. That’s right, an S-class villain. Do you know how I’ve survived this long without being hunted down? Because I know my place. Stir up a beehive, and you’ll get stung to death.”

Origin spat out the cigar smoke. His eyes emitted a dangerous gleam. His body began to swell as his suit tore apart.

“Let me tell you something. Arrogant fools are the first to die in this world.”

“Then let me share something too.”

Origin charged at me, his inflated fist shooting toward me like a bullet. I met his fist with mine.
Boooom!

Origin exploded, and in his place, only chunks of meat remained.

“Weaklings die first. The strong survive until the end.”

I looked around. His subordinates were all trembling in fear.

“From now on, this place is mine. Anyone with complaints, come out.”

No one answered.

“Good. How many villains do you have under your command? Bring me a list.”

“Here it is.”

One of the subordinates handed me a holographic tablet. I liked that he moved quickly.

I checked the list. There were quite a few A and B-class villains.

But even with this, it was still insufficient…

『The match continues! Place your bets! The time limit is 5 minutes! How many will survive?』

I turned my head toward the arena. Were they still going on with that absurd show?
“Hmph.”

It was even more nauseating than I had imagined.

The execution of civilians, as Cheolsango had mentioned.

It looks like it’s a match.

In the arena, three villains and about thirty civilians are packed tightly together.

The villains are carrying out massacres without hesitation.

Swinging chainsaws and machetes, they sever necks and hearts, blood and chunks of flesh flying everywhere.

It seems like they’re gambling on how many will survive after repeating this for five minutes.
Such creativity.

The civilians are probably sold there because they couldn’t pay off their debts.

They must have been lured in with promises that if they survive, their debts would be forgiven.

“F*cking bastards.”

The curse slipped out.

Thirty civilians.

Among them, there are children.

Four children, around five or six years old.

Huddled together in a corner, crying and screaming.

Did their parents sell them off?

The audience is watching them, excited.

This city really has been rewarding to watch over.

Clink!

I broke through the mirror and leaped out, landing on the ground and immediately running toward the arena. I

smashed through the iron cage and charged in.

In front of the children stood a villain holding a chainsaw. It seemed like I was going to be too late. The chainsaw was

already swinging down toward the children.
Damn.

But in front of the children,

There stood a girl.

A civilian.

Like the others, she was just a mere pawn to be killed by the villains, entertaining the audience with her death.

Her legs were trembling, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes.

But she kept her eyes fixed on the chainsaw coming toward her, trying to protect the children.
A foolish act.

Her frail body wouldn’t even serve as a shield; she would be torn apart with the children.

A vain sacrifice.

—But,

Sssssss!

The moment the chainsaw touched the girl’s head, something black stirred.

It looked like static electricity, or a shapeless liquid. It briefly stopped the chainsaw and disappeared in an instant.

That moment was enough time for me to reach the villain.

Boom!

I turned the villain holding the chainsaw into chunks of meat.

I turned to look at the girl.

Her face.

That face, saying she had never tasted a single sweet fragment of hope in her life,

“…Darkmatter.”

It was a face I knew.

Darkmatter,

Ilua.

She was an SSS-class villain who would appear in the fourth scenario.