Chapter 199: Her Awareness

In the midst of a raging snowstorm, the sky stretched out endlessly above the cityscape.

Perched atop a dragon, I extend a welcoming hand to the blonde hero soaring in front of me.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Stardust.”

“Ha, ha…”

*

[Finally, they meet LOL]

[This is it hahaha]

[Stardust looked stunned the moment she saw the dragon LOL. Who brings a dragon during a villain’s attack hahaha]

*

Floating in the air in front of me, she stared with a look that screamed utter bewilderment.

While seated on the dragon with its wings fully spread, I began to speak.

“You’ve come at a perfect time. I’m currently planning to conquer Seoul. With the new member of our Egostream, Spirit-san, it will be easier than anything!”

“...ROOOOOOOAR!”

As I finished my words, Spirit let out a howl on cue. Though it sounded a bit unsteady, to others, it would appear to be an intimidating roar. The sound reverberated through the air, dramatically sweeping back Stardust’s hair.

And with that, soaring atop my dragon, I declared with great confidence.

“Miss Stardust, even you won’t be able to withstand my attack. I’ve noticed you’ve been quite active lately, but I can’t acknowledge that.”

“...Huh?”

“Well, if you manage to stop me here, maybe then I could acknowledge you... But there’s no way that’s happening. How could a human possibly stop a dragon!”

-Hahahahaha!

My laughter was echoed by another grand howl from Spirit-san.

...For some reason, there was a hint of disillusionment in Spirit’s howl, but it must be my imagination.

Anyway, I had thrown down the gauntlet.

Yes, let’s dive right into the battle.

...To be honest, I had rushed over in a heat after witnessing Stardust falling at the Devil King’s castle. So, prolonging the conversation here would be a bit troublesome for me.

Of course, considering Stardust’s righteous and strict personality, that would be unlikely. But just in case she started interrogating me about why I saved her last time, the situation could turn sour. I had prepared my excuses, but villains were best defined by their actions, not their words.

So, wearing a casual expression but feeling anxious on the inside, I awaited Stardust’s response. The best-case scenario here would be for Stardust to say, ‘You worthless scum, I’ll take you down!’ and jump right into battle. If she tried to extend the conversation, I’d have no choice but to cut her off and make a preemptive strike... even if I didn’t want to.

And then, finally...

Quietly, Stardust who had been silent broke into a faint smile and spoke.

“Alright, got it. So, if I stop you here, that settles it? Just like last time.”

Saying that, she clenched her fist. At the same time, a yellow light began to emanate from her fist.

Seeing her like this, I found myself grinning without even realizing it.

...I was not sure why Stardust was also smiling, and her tone seemed somehow softer than usual, but that was probably just my imagination. Anyway, what was important was that we were both geared up to fight.

So, laughing heartily once again, I said to her,

“...Yes, excellent, excellent indeed! Try stopping me if you can!”

Saying this, I soared even higher into the sky with my dragon. The moment my dragon sensed the onset of battle, Spirit used its powers to conjure up countless ice blades resembling stalactites.

*

[What’s up with the atmosphere between the two? For real (´,,•ω•,,｀) lol lol lol lol]

[Finally, the battle starts hahahaha]

[Yes, yes, yes, let’s go~]

[The long-awaited dragon battle begins Hahahaha]

[Ice Dragon Kitsama~~~~!!!]

[Like a dog, I’ve climbed up on a nearby building rooftop to watch them lock eyes, man this is life Hahahaha]

[Dragon Punch! Dragon Punch! Dragon Punch!]

*

And so, the real battle had finally begun.

***

In truth, Shin Haru was a bit nervous about seeing Egoistic again.

The last time, in front of that Devil’s castle, the moment he had come to rescue her—

Unconsciously, she had smiled, her heart had skipped a beat. His retreating figure had been so comforting. Intellectually, she understood he was a villain, but no matter how hard she tried to feel hostility, her heart simply didn’t find him detestable.

That was why Shin Haru was somewhat anxious about seeing Egoistic again. She was uncertain about what kind of reaction she would show.

What should she say when she saw him? Or rather, how would he act towards her? ...If Egoistic was his usual self, he’d probably act just like before.

She had indeed spent a lot of time pondering deeply—more than on Egoistic’s reasons for causing terror, or the relationships he had with the women around him, or even why he wasn’t a villain. But ultimately, all those concerns folded into the bigger question: What face should she show him when they met again?

And then, the day finally came—the day Egoistic launched another act of terror.

And so...

Stardust momentarily forgot all the worrying she had done until now and simply stared, baffled, at the spectacle before her.

...Where on earth did he get a dragon like that?

Snowflakes as big as cotton balls mixed with icy sleet were falling from the sky.

There, amidst that backdrop, she had flown in only to see him riding a dragon, leaving her stunned.

The moment Egoistic, who had caught sight of her, began to speak, she braced herself for what was to come.

This dragon was a new member of Egostream. He was going to conquer Seoul...

Had those words come from any other villain, they would have incited anger and hostility. But for some reason, when they came from his lips, they felt strangely familiar, as they always did.

...Apart from that, Stardust was still standing there, a bit dazed... Dragons aside, when she finally locked eyes with Egoistic again and saw his smiling face, she wasn’t sure what to do. Should she get angry about the terror he was causing? Or should she ask about the last time they met? There were many things she wanted to say, but her thoughts were tangled.

What snapped her out of her confusion was Egoistic’s next words.

“Miss Stardust, even you won’t be able to withstand my attack. I’ve noticed you’ve been quite active lately, but I can’t acknowledge that.”

“...Huh?”

“Well, if you manage to stop me here, maybe then I could acknowledge you... But there’s no way that’s happening. How could a human possibly stop a dragon!“’

With that, he burst out laughing.

And in that moment, she finally understood Egoistic’s intentions.

‘Ah, he’s telling me to stop him. To thwart this dragon.’

‘You can do it, Stardust.’

Then, almost without realizing it, she began to recall old memories.

Yes, Egoistic had always been like this. From the beginning until now, he had always thrown challenges at her, urging her to overcome them.

...It felt strangely familiar.

With those thoughts in mind, Stardust—Shin Haru realized something.

She didn’t even consider what Egoistic was doing as terror anymore.

She was it as a challenge he had given to me.

...She didn’t know what the truth was. Maybe it really was terror. But for now, that was not how she saw it.

But what does that even matter?

In the end, this too was something Egoistic had prepared just for her.

Right.

If he was gone to all this trouble to prepare this for her,

Then she had to give it her all in return.

And show him that I could overcome it.

That must be what he wanted, after all.

With that in mind, Stardust found herself smiling as she spoke.

“Alright, got it. So, if I stop you here, that settles it? Just like last time.”

Seeing Egoistic’s satisfied grin at her response, she was certain.

As expected, this was what he wanted.

So, there was no other way for her to act.

With that conviction, she clenched her fist, radiating light from her knuckles. To thwart his ‘terror,’ and to triumph over him.

She took to the skies.

***

Under a sky blanketed with heavy snowfall, a battle worthy of mythology unfolded.

“Spirit-san, unleash a snowstorm ahead!”

Riding on the back of a dragon slicing through the air, I issued commands to Spirit. Responding to my words, it conjured a blizzard.

As a result, the piercing gaze of Stardust, aimed directly at us, was momentarily obscured. Seizing the opportunity, we soared even higher.

“Let’s hit them with another bolt of lightning!”

As I finished speaking, lightning began to strike from the sky. Though not as powerful as Electra’s, the sudden bolt in the midst of a snowstorm was still jarring.

Relying on the power of the dragon named Spirit, the sky took on an appearance akin to the creation of heaven and earth itself.

Snow pouring down in all directions, lightning bolts striking randomly through the snow, and gale-force winds that resembled whirlwinds. All of this was unleashed to deal with just one person: Stardust.

*

[This is insane, LOL.]

[Is this... terrorism? What kind of terrorism have I been seeing?]

[Egoistic should totally take over Seoul. Totally support it, LOL.]

[Is all of this from just one dragon? This is insane.]

[Egostream could easily conquer South Korea if they put their minds to it, Hahaha.]

[But amidst all this, Stardust breaking through is even more incredible. Wow, Hahaha.]

*

And just as they said, Stardust broke through it all and was flying towards me.

“Exactly, this is it!”

Seeing her, I found myself involuntarily cheering, my face breaking into a smile.

Yes, this was the level of challenge worthy of my hero.

If she could break through even this, then perhaps it was time to move on to the next level.

Smiling, I entertained that thought.

︵‿︵‿୨ * ୧‿︵‿︵

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