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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Second Cathedral Meeting
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The First Cathedral Meeting.
Hykin.
An S-class villain operating out of Germany, he felt a slight tension upon arriving at the Cathedral Meeting hosted by Celeste.
"..."
'Everyone here seems strong.'
And for good reason. Every villain around him looked capable, and after meeting the renowned Celeste and listening to others' self-introductions, he realized: 'I'll get buried here!'
As he looked around with a newfound sense of urgency, his gaze snagged on one particular individual.
'...Ego-Stick?'
A man in a black hat and black cloak, Ego-Stick. He recognized this villain. He'd seen his appearance once while browsing the internet.
'...I don't remember the details, but wasn't he an A-class villain?'
He didn't know why an A-class villain was here, but Hykin's mind raced. Yes, he'd pick a fight, question why an A-class was present, and assert his own presence. It was only natural for an A-class to be below an S-class, right...?
So, seizing the moment Ego-Stick began his self-introduction, he meticulously planned his provocation.
"You scoundrel!!!!!"
...Of course, he hadn't known that the famous villain Atlas was close with Ego-Stick.
"You flap your mouth like there's no tomorrow! How dare you utter such nonsense to a friend of Atlas? You scoundrel!!!"
"...Seriously, now. Did I say something wrong?"
He tried to sneer defiantly to the very end, but inwardly, Hykin was utterly flustered. '...No, how could Ego-Stick, an A-class, be on such familiar terms with a heavyweight like that?'
In any case, the commotion finally ended with Celeste's intervention, so one could say it concluded rather peacefully. Ego-Stick's inscrutable smile, showing no disturbance from his provocation, was a bit peculiar, but that was all.
Of course, that peace shattered into a thousand pieces when the information sharing session began and Ego-Stick opened his mouth.
"...Especially those living in Germany, please be careful. You never know what tragic event might occur within the next three months."
Ego-Stick said this openly, a smiling expression on his face as he looked at Hykin.
"You bastard! Are you daring to threaten me?!"
Hykin immediately erupted in outrage, but his protests were instantly drowned out by Atlas's counter-attack and Celeste's intervention.
And then.
'...Tsk. It's probably just an A-class's empty provocation.'
Hykin, who had intended to simply dismiss it, felt an ominous unease.
'...Was that really just nonsense?'
After the meeting ended, Hykin returned to Germany.
From that day on, he shivered with a persistent sense of discomfort. 'Ego-Stick, what if that bastard really knew something when he said that...?'
"Boss, what are you doing?"
"Shh."
After searching for information about Ego-Stick online, even running it through internet translators, his complexion turned deathly pale.
"Damn it..."
'...This guy, A-class? Anyone can see he's S-class or higher!'
No. There were already several S-class villains operating under Ego-Stick. The more he learned about Ego-Stick's influence in South Korea and everything he had accomplished so far, the more anxious Hykin became.
On top of that, he'd seen Atlas, one of the five great villains who dominated the entire North Atlantic, fully supporting Ego-Stick...
Hykin's instincts immediately sounded an alarm.
Who was S-class villain Hykin? He was a man with sharp instincts, having successfully run a respectable villain syndicate in Germany without being caught by the Association to this day.
'...Especially those living in Germany, please be careful. You never know what tragic event might occur within the next three months.'
".....Shit."
What if Ego-Stick was a formidable villain, surpassing S-class, merely cosplaying as an A-class? What if he really knew something and was warning him?
Thus, for a full three months, Hykin lived in terror, sleeping with weapons on his bed and flinching at even the sound of a falling leaf.
And that was how he survived.
"Whoa... holy shit."
KABOOOM.
The place where he had been sitting just moments ago was utterly shattered. The ground was deeply cratered, the earth stained red, and something like lava flowed within it.
Feeling the intense heat radiating towards him, he made a decision.
'...From now on, I'll treat Ego-Stick as my Big Bro.'
***
"Oh... you're alive?"
I said this without thinking, seeing Hykin bend at the waist in a deep bow towards me. '...No, how did he not die? I distinctly remember him dying in an attack!'
He flinched at my words. Then, he suddenly began speaking rapidly, looking at me.
"Yes! Thanks to the heartfelt advice you gave me, Big Bro, I was able to survive! It's all thanks to you, Big Bro! From now on, I'll serve you as my Big Bro!!!"
The red-mohawked man said this with transparent sincerity, bowing his head towards me. '...Wait, so he survived because he listened to me back then?'
'Is this some kind of butterfly effect?'
While feeling bewildered, I first gestured to Hykin, who was still bowing before me.
"Alright, alright. Just sit down, will you?"
'All the nearby villains are staring this way, wondering what's going on. The attention is ridiculous.'
At my gesture, Hykin swiftly sat down right next to me. 'He's surprisingly obedient.'
"Hmm..."
I watched him silently for a moment.
'This guy, who probably died in the original story, seems to have survived because of me. And he's calling me "Big Bro" and being so cautious, as if he thinks I orchestrated that attack.'
'...Is this a good thing?'
Well, it's not bad. It was unexpected, but wouldn't it be good to have one more ally at this Cathedral? Or maybe not.
Giving up on thinking too hard, I then asked Hykin, who was sitting beside me.
"...So, you're going to call me Big Bro?"
"Yes!!!"
"Alright then, do your best, little brother."
"Yes!!! Thank you, Big Bro!!!"
When I patted his shoulder and spoke, Hykin bowed his head sincerely, as if deeply moved by my words.
'An S-class villain bowing to an A-class villain, is this really right? No, what on earth is he mistakenly thinking about me in his head to be acting like this? I know Hykin is a fairly well-known villain in Germany.'
Anyway, after that chaotic encounter with the red-mohawked man ended, and as the other villains gradually arrived, our old man Atlas finally made his appearance.
"Hahaha! Ego-Stick, it's been a while... But wait, why is that fellow sitting next to you? Surely he's not bothering our Ego-Stick, is he?"
He approached with a broad smile, but upon seeing the red-mohawked man sitting next to me, his expression twisted into a frown and he clenched his fist.
Before Atlas could land a blow on Hykin's head, Hykin suddenly rushed forward to explain himself. He mumbled something about having decided to serve me as his Big Bro, and so on.
While Hykin, who had barely avoided a hit, let out a sigh of relief, Atlas, who had naturally taken a seat beside me, smiled contentedly as if he'd never frowned at all.
"Hahaha! Indeed. Our Ego-Stick is certainly worthy of being served as a Big Bro. Ego-Stick, when did you two form such a relationship? Your inclusiveness truly is remarkable!"
"Hahaha..."
'...Just now, actually.'
True to old man Atlas's simple nature, he just accepted it on his own and chuckled, patting my back. '...He seemed to be under some kind of delusion, though.'
Anyway, Atlas arrived, and within minutes, the other villains also began to trickle in.
"Everyone has arrived."
Finally, Celeste, the host of this meeting, dressed in a white saintess's robe, arrived. And at last, the meeting began.
"Recently, the Association's offensives have grown more intense. New ability users are also increasing..."
Listening to Celeste, who, with her eyes closed, reminded everyone of the current situation in her beautiful voice, I briefly glanced around the round table.
"..."
The person I focused on was Katana, the leader of Japan's Sanhyup-pa. She sat there with her black hair tied back, dressed in a Japanese yakuza outfit. Watching Katana, who looked somewhat fatigued, I quietly thought to myself.
'She actually came today? I thought the Sanhyup-pa was getting hammered by the government so much lately that she wouldn't have time to attend, but it looks like she made it. Lucky me. I can subtly inform her at the end of this meeting.'
As I was thinking that, Celeste's words came to an end.
"Now then, let us begin the Second Cathedral Meeting."
She said this, seated before the round table beneath the grand chandelier.
Yes. Finally, the main event of the Cathedral: the information sharing session.
She then began to reveal information in a somewhat sacred voice.
"...The Hero Association has recently decided that..."
She unveiled crucial information that no one else knew. Everyone seemed to be listening intently, but I, for one, wasn't particularly interested. 'I already know this much from the original story, and it doesn't really concern me anyway.'
After her turn ended, it was time for others to share. Starting from the right, each person began to reveal a piece of valuable information they knew.
"What I've heard is..."
"Underground in West Africa, a secret hero base..."
"In Europe, S-class hero Athena's weakness is..."
Unlike last time, perhaps because they had a proper preparation period, everyone brought a piece of information, even if it wasn't as impactful as what Celeste had shared. As expected from individuals who ran prominent villain organizations in their respective countries, there was quite a lot of high-level intelligence. A few pieces even made me listen intently.
Katana also spoke, by the way. However, her information was rather flimsy, as if hastily prepared. Instead, the intelligence from Li Xiaopeng, the S-class villain from China sitting on the other side, was far more impressive. 'To think the Chinese government was developing something like that, I'd never heard of it. Aren't they completely insane?'
The sequence of turns continued, and finally, it was my turn.
"..."
Everyone was looking at me. 'Perhaps because it's information from an A-class villain, everyone strangely seemed to have low expectations.'
And from that seemingly peaceful round table, I unveiled a shocking piece of information that no one had known.
"Do any of you know about an S-class hero intentionally hidden by the American Association, commonly referred to as Rank 0: Ex Machina?"
"..."
Everyone had expressions of hearing it for the first time. To them, I casually dropped the next line.
"His ability is."
"To reverse time."
And the moment I uttered those words, the round table froze for a moment.