I’m Not That Villain - Chapter 62



61 – A Small War (2)

Using an ability is difficult.

I’m just, you know, a power plant burning calories to release energy. I can’t weave it together or give it shape, not at all.

I tried to do it myself. But it was completely impossible. From the start, linking randomly emitted energy was far beyond my artificial ability’s reach.

That’s what Scarlet is for. Being right next to me, managing the emitted energy itself, correcting it, and producing a result — an energy management machine.

But right now, that ‘orb’ isn’t there. Since Scarlet’s core isn’t present, it’s like being in a situation where controlling my ability is impossible.

However…

That doesn’t mean there’s *no* way.

Thud!

I landed on the safety net. It swayed violently.

People screamed.

“Sh, shit?! Are you crazy?! It’ll rip!”

“St, stop! Stop climbing! Nooo!”

“Mommaaa! Mommaaa!!”

–Thud.

Cutting through the screams. The sound of accelerating destruction.

It won’t take long until it snaps.

“Scarlett.”

Inside this watch-like device on my wrist is Scarlett’s mind.

Of course, this device. It doesn’t have any special function. It simply has the ability to extend a wire to connect with a machine terminal.

But what if I were to improvise using nearby machines?

If you’re a person. If you’re a resident of Seoul.

There’s one machine everyone living in the modern era possesses.

A cell phone.

“Help me. Scarlett. What we’ll make now is a terminal that will temporarily shape my power. Can you do it?”

“Yes, Master.”

The wire extending from the watch immediately begins to move. Sparks sputter and delicate touches.

I immediately start running across the safety netting, snatching cell phones from people’s hands.

“Wh, what are you doing…?!”

“Hand them over quietly. If you want to live.”

The captured machine is immediately, meticulously disassembled. From it, only the necessary parts are reconstructed through Scarlet’s wires…

And in an instant, a small terminal is jury-rigged.

A hastily-made ability controller, meant for a single use before falling apart. Its appearance is nothing more than a crude mess of multiple phones strung together…

But it’s a device capable of fulfilling its purpose, for one single shot.

“Output limit, 1.35%. Energy shaping possible once.”

“Enough.”

I intentionally reduce the energy in my hand. Grasping the small, springing, purplish-black orb with all my might, and then…

I create it through the temporary terminal.

Energy in the form of threads.

Sea of Void.

Silk.

FZZZT!

The burst of sparks melts a portion of the netting. I struggle to control it, delicately setting the output direction.

Multiple strands of energy. I twist them, weave them into a single path. My own energy is dangerous, yet…

This ability, the Sea of Void’s silk form, drastically reduces the destructive force, a form solely for material construction.

The netting ripples. A path temporarily forms above it, connecting to the level below, far removed from the safety net.

A bizarre phenomenon, a purplish-black path appearing as if it were instantly constructed. After testing its strength, I turn my head.

“This way!”

People, terrified, scramble towards me. I growl, blocking their path.

“Send the kids first, you fuckers!”

“…Uh, uh…!”

“W-We’re in danger too…”

“Shut your trap and get the kids down first!”

I hurriedly sent the kids down first. Then the adults who could move.

And the last person. After sending that person down, I tried to follow down the path.

But suddenly, a black shadow engulfed me.

“…….?!”

I looked up. I saw falling building debris.

I immediately threw myself out of the way, barely dodging, but the sheer weight caused the safety net on one side to tear completely.

CRACK!!

The chilling sound. My body lurched violently.

No, fuck.

It’s still kinda high here. Even if my physical abilities have gotten stronger, this is a bit much.

My thrashing hand tried to grab the safety net, but it was already too late. My body was thrown backwards, and I felt myself falling.

“aaahhh!!”

“What do we do!”

Back of the head.

Protect the back of my head first.

If I don’t hurt my head, I can figure something…

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, my body flipped. Something grabbed me, forcing me to spin in the air.

It was only belatedly that I realized I’d been caught, and by then, I was already safely landed on the ground.

Thud.

Amidst the screams of people, I saw strands of sky-blue hair tickling the tip of my nose.

A sweet scent. A slight tremor.

I belatedly looked up at the person holding me in a princess carry.

“A-ah, mister… are you alright…?”

Seol Yewon.

Whoa, damn. What was that, some kind of acrobat? What the hell was that move just now?

Guess I’m alive, at least. I got down from her arms. So much happened so fast, I was completely drained.

Still, let’s see. Those other people from before…

They’re all alive. They made it safely.

I tossed the shattered disposable terminal into the black smoke.

“Thanks, Yewon. You saved my life.”

“Why, why were you there…?”

“I fell by mistake.”

I slightly averted my gaze. Saying it out loud felt a bit embarrassing.

“Let’s go for now. Before we get more tangled up.”

“…Okay.”

Seol Yewon and I quickly moved our feet. But we weren’t able to leave this place as easily as we’d hoped.

“Get the fuck outta here!!”

KWA-AA-ANG!!

A deafening blast erupts right in front of my eyes. A gust of dust and shattered building debris rushes in, flying everywhere.

Through the chaos, I see people fighting. Fire and electricity engulf everything, swallowing the entire corridor.

My breath catches. The heat’s so intense, it feels like my face will burn if I don’t shield it.

And it’s not just one spot; it’s all around me, as far as I can see, everything is in turmoil.

That center. Did the fight that started in the center now spread this far?

Aw, shit.

Did I really get caught up in some kind of gang war?

I frantically try to call them on my phone. But Lily and Renata aren’t answering.

Explosions keep detonating in rapid succession. The ground shakes as if everything is about to collapse.

A body flashes past my eyes. A mangled, pulverized mess of flesh. Like it’s been live minced, a corpse rolls towards me, staring blankly…

Then its head drops with a thud.

And as if to make sure, a foot stamps down on it, crushing it completely.

CRUNCH!

The sound’s similar to a watermelon being smashed. The man, with bloodied foot smearing on the floor, turns his head towards me.

His eyes blaze with an excited intensity. His lips, caked in blood, slowly part.

“…You fuckers. You part of this, too?”

“……..”

Who’s who?

A situation where it’s hard to even tell who’s friend or foe.

What’s more…

I can’t just run away, not with someone scattered somewhere inside here.

“…Haa.”

This is some seriously bad luck.

Guess you really can’t just go on vacation whenever you please.

Regret flashes through my mind. But that moment was brief.

What needed an immediate response was dealing with the esper right in front of me.

“It’s not like…you’d believe me if I told you, right?”

“Of course not, you b*stard!!”

Already enraged, the opponent charges at me without thinking. I immediately raised my hand.

But that attack never reached me.

Seol Yewon moved first.

KWaaaNG!!!

For a moment, only afterimages were visible to my eyes. Even with senses enhanced by artificial esper factors.

A body accelerating beyond the limits of perception. One moment I thought I saw something flash past…

The next, the opponent’s face was pierced by something.

“……?!”

The scattering of countless teeth. With a roar, the enemy’s form slammed into the wall.

And then just… thud.

I dropped my head. Spitting blood onto my chest.

Just one hit.

“…Huh?”

No. What is this.

Why is she so…strong?

“A-Ahjussi?! Are you okay?!”

“I’m…okay, but…”

Seol Yewon’s ability. It was definitely self-enhancement.

But the level of it was just strange. It felt several times stronger than what I’d observed before…

Did she do something during that time?

“Ah, Ahjussi, I don’t have dedicated equipment, so there’s a limit to the output…Ah, I don’t know if I can properly protect you…”

That’s more than enough, it’s way beyond enough.

“What the fuck?! Get that b*stard!!”

“M-Martin’s been hit! Requesting backup!!”

“It’s a cop! Get him!!”

I finally come to my senses. People who look like part of the enemy’s gang are swarming around.

A cop? Wait, are we even the cops? Are there police…I mean, enforcers mixed in here?

No. There’s no time to ponder that now.

Move.

“Yewon-ah. Cover me.”

“Y-yes, yes?! M-me, I’m going to…take care of you, mister…?”

Seol Yewon’s eyes sparkled. Inappropriately so, for the urgent situation.

“L-leave it to me…! I-I’ll protect you with my life…!”

“No. Let’s not go that far.”

The building was vast.

Not to mention the floors, the width was also unbelievably huge.

So it was clear. Finding someone who wasn’t answering calls in a place like this was going to be incredibly difficult. Especially now, with fights breaking out all over the building.

The battle was probably unavoidable. Now that it had started, they’d keep running into opponents.

It seemed like anyone not on their side was immediately identified as the enemy and they were trying to kill them…

In the end. He needed power. Real power.

He couldn’t rely on just Seol Yewon. Then the answer was clear, wasn’t it?

Do what he did before.

Quickly cobble together a device, a terminal to aid his ability.

But this time, unlike before…

A slightly better piece of work!

“Let’s go to the electronics store. The place we were at earlier!”

. . .

A commotion erupted.

Lily, relaxed from the released tension, was a moment too late to notice what was happening.

A deafening roar getting closer. A strange sound that, for a moment, made her think it might just be construction

And with that…

A vision stained black.

The moment Lily noticed the cracks spiderwebbing across the ceiling, she was up and moving. She threw herself at Renata, wrapping her in a protective embrace.

And the result is right here, right now.

Lily shoved a massive chunk of building debris off her back with a grunt of her shoulder.

KOONG!

Part of the shattered ceiling scattered across the floor. Lily brushed the dust off herself with sharp flicks of her wrist.

A sudden explosion. And with it, the sound of…

Rumbling from all directions.

Not just any rumble. It was the kind that sounded like two people going at it, tooth and nail. No gunshots, but explosions, and there was only one likely reason for that.

A fight between ability users.

That’s what was tearing this building apart right now.

A gang war? Or terrorism?

Couldn’t tell. What mattered was they were caught in the middle of it. This was the sixth floor, fairly high up, a good distance from the ground.

A simple escape wouldn’t be so simple. And that wasn’t the only problem. If all they had to worry about was escape, it’d be almost okay, but…

There was someone she had to protect.

She had no idea where he was now.

“……”

She’d let her guard down. Got too comfortable just because it was her vacation.

From noble mtl dot com

She fumbled through her pockets, but her phone was gone. She must have dropped it when she’d shielded Renata; buried under those building remains somewhere.

“Renata.”

“Y-yes, yes?”

“Do you have your phone?”

“H-here…uh…uh, I don’t have it…!”

It would be weirder if she *had* managed to grab it in this situation. Lily turned her head. People scattered around were screaming, but there wasn’t time to help them.

She locked eyes with the people suddenly swarming up. Some of them whispered amongst themselves, then bared their teeth.

“A power user! Shit! He’s gotta be a fucking cop!”

“Get him!”

Cop?

Is it possible the enforcement agency infiltrated here?

Before confirming the truth, there’s only one thing to do. Lily raised her hand.

“Renata. Don’t let go of my back.”

“Y-yes, yes!”

Lily swung a ruthless fist toward the first person charging at her.

Crack!

A jaw, torn away with pieces of flesh, landed on the floor.