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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The First Clash
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The outskirts of the metropolitan area.
Here, amidst the ruins, where everyone else had evacuated.
A colossal weapon, clad in heavy armor, stood majestically.
Its head was shaped like an overturned hemisphere, with two long, dangling arms. Its body and legs were incredibly large and tall.
It was a giant weapon that looked extremely dangerous at first glance.
And, in front of it.
A lone figure, barely visible in comparison, floated in the air.
The person staring at the weapon, which was dozens, if not hundreds, of times larger than herself, without an ounce of fear, her long blonde hair fluttering, was none other than Stardust.
And facing her from the cockpit of that giant weapon was me, Egostic.
"Oh, dear. This place has turned into complete ruins, hasn't it?"
I grinned into the microphone and spoke.
Then, my voice boomed out from a speaker attached somewhere on the giant weapon.
The decibel level was loud enough to pierce Stardust's ears directly.
"Now that I'm piloting this thing, I feel a sudden urge to just march straight into Seoul..."
I said, a smirk playing on my lips.
"Well. Whether I do that or not, Stardust, depends on you. If you fight and defeat me here, I'll gladly withdraw. But if I win? I'll head straight for Seoul, aiming to turn it into a sea of fire."
"So."
I stopped there, then operated the machine to wiggle a finger at her and continued.
"Come on in."
And the moment I finished speaking, she was already flying towards me, her blonde hair streaming behind her, her fist clenched.
She seemed to be smiling. Was it just my imagination?
Anyway, it was finally time to show off the skills I'd honed over years of fighting games.
I gripped the controls firmly and shouted to my companions behind me.
"Everyone hold on tight! The real fight starts now!"
Then, I also operated the machine, making it clench its fist.
Now, let the real battle begin.
***
Stardust.
Even facing the colossal robot that dwarfed her, she felt no fear.
...No. To be honest, she did feel a little overwhelmed. It was many times larger than her, so it was only natural to feel some pressure.
However.
Was it because of Egostic, who had called her out with such a confident smile?
Or was it because his words—that he wouldn't destroy Seoul if she fought and won—felt like motivation, urging her to win if she didn't want to see that happen?
Or was it that standing before this massive machine, she felt no fear because...
She remembered his voice from a previous time, when she was despairing in a situation that seemed insurmountable, just like now.
'You can do it.'
"...Right."
She murmured, a smile unconsciously gracing her lips.
Let's see what you've got.
With that, she clenched her fist and flew towards the giant robot.
And the robot, too, began to extend its fist.
The prelude to battle had begun.
***
"Yes! And just as I speak! Stardust and the giant weapon piloted by Egostic have clashed! Wow, the shockwave is reaching us even with the camera this far away. Stardust is currently attacking from the side, and Egostic is blocking it! Ah, Egostic's counterattack! A massive arm flies towards Stardust! Stardust barely dodges!"
[Egostic Stardust's fighting level is this for real? This is truly a battle between the world's strongest. Is that really the same loser-like Stardust? My chest swells with emotion...]
[Stardust dodges so well lololol]
[How is Stardust supposed to fight something that big? Isn't this just a fixed game?]
[Stardust's the one who caught a falling plane lolol. That's too much.]
[Looks like this battle will just be added to her resume lololol. Battle with a villain in a giant weaponㄷ]
[And they're even fighting neck and neckㄷㄷ]
[Is Stardust finally getting promoted to S-rank this time?????]
[Didn't Mangostick just steal that robot? Why is he piloting it so well lololol]
[Our Mango is multitalented lolololol]
[Seriously, Egostic should honestly get an S-rank upgrade too. What he's shown so far easily beats most S-ranks.]
[Seriously, he just took down those crazy bastards from Han Eun Group. He really should be promoted to S-rank hero quickly.]
[I'm not a Mango fan, but I agree.]
[Fact: The fan cafe coordinated this, so it's just Mango fans here.]
[No, it's not. There are Stardust fans too, you know. -.-]
[If you're a Mango fan who's sad Egostic isn't streaming, upvote lololol]
[Seriously, why do we have to be doing this in a news chat room? Why isn't Egostream living up to its name and streaming?]
[But the activity is a bit low today? Is it because it's not Egostic's official broadcast?]
[No, it's because of that thing earlier. There's a disaster alert in southern Seoul, so everyone's evacuating.]
[No, I'm watching this broadcast on the street after evacuating with my family right now?]
[Crazy bastard lololol]
[But Stardust is seriously fighting well amidst all this lolololol]
***
How much time had passed since the battle first began?
They were still fighting.
[Hahahaha! Stardust, is that all you've got?! Do a little better!]
Laughter echoed from the giant robot.
Stardust gritted her teeth at the sound.
Stardust, gasping for breath, exhausted from the prolonged battle.
Her condition didn't look good, barely dodging his attacks while sweating, but the robot's condition wasn't great either.
Unlike its pristine appearance at the start, smoke was now billowing from somewhere due to her continuous attacks.
Of course, it was still far better off than Stardust, who was now too tired to even fly, but it definitely looked like it had taken a hit.
She continued to grit her teeth.
Yes. Honestly speaking.
With her current skill, it seemed difficult to win.
The difference in weight class was simply too great.
He only needed to hit her once, but she had to pound him from all sides.
Also, since his fists were made of steel, the impact each time she was hit was quite significant. It felt like her whole body vibrated.
Her abilities had grown much stronger than before, but it was still not enough.
[Are you already tired? Is this all you are!!!]
The weapon's fist flew again, accompanied by his voice.
"Ugh."
She barely managed to block it, letting out a groan.
Her body was now exhausted, unable to exert any more strength.
Even flying was reaching its limit.
For an ordinary person, this would be a situation so desperate it could crush all hope.
However.
She still hadn't given up.
Shin Haru.
Was this the first time she had faced such a desperate situation?
No. She had despaired before.
Believing she couldn't win, that she couldn't do anything.
'You can do it.'
But hadn't she overcome it?
Gasping for breath, exhausted, she rekindled the fire in her eyes.
No, giving up here was out of the question.
She took another deep breath, then charged towards the giant weapon.
She would definitely, without fail, defeat him, just as he expected.
And.
[Oh? That's it! That's how I like to fight!]
[Brother, pilot it properly!]
[Hey. Be careful!]
"...."
Behind his words, faintly, came the voices of some women, leaking from the machine.
Unconsciously, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fist.
Another reason to defeat that giant weapon had just appeared.
She would absolutely defeat him, and then find out who those women by his side were.
With a surge of strength from an unknown source, she charged at the giant weapon once more.
***
"Yes! This is it!"
I shouted without realizing it.
Stardust, who had been growing tired, seemed to have renewed her resolve and was now charging at me with all her might.
Complaints erupted from the women behind me due to my aggressive piloting, but I remained unshaken.
This was a chance to make Stardust grow explosively!
From today onward, ridiculously strong villains would be pouring out, so she needed to get much stronger now to make things easier for her in the future.
And this was the best opportunity for her to grow.
Just like in exercise, the dumbbells you lift when you're so exhausted you can't even twitch a finger are the most effective.
Similarly, her abilities would break through their limits and grow when she continued to fight even in an incredibly difficult state.
In short, this was the perfect time for her to become immensely powerful.
"Hahaha! More! Attack me more!!!!"
I continued to face Stardust with a voice tinged with madness, my brain spinning at top speed.
At this rate, she'd be much stronger in a few hours.
I'll just pretend to make a few mistakes, take some hits, then fall over and go, "Agh, you defeated me!" and run away, right?
Good. The plan is perfect!
Heh. How long has it been since a plan went so smoothly?
I'm touched.
***
Hero Association.
Operations Control Room.
"Well done! Yes, an uppercut right there! Ah, so clean. Haru definitely has good instincts. Mm-hmm."
The Association President watched the battle between Stardust and Egostic on the large monitor on the wall, munching on popcorn.
A staff member rushed over to him, panting.
"President!"
"What is it?"
"The President, the President...!"
And the staff member's subsequent words succeeded in making even the Association President's face harden.
"They said they fired a missile... towards that site!"
"Ha..."
Hearing that, the Association President unconsciously dropped the popcorn tub he was holding.
Then, only a low murmur escaped him.
"...We're screwed."