Chapter 148: Haha, Hello?

Then who could it be? He tried to recall the appearances of Villains he’d seen before, but none matched that figure.

Since there weren’t many Villains Johannes had met directly, the recollection ended quickly.

He rarely interacted with Villains.

By using the <Mind Reading> Skill to help those who came to the Temple, he had only revived the Enraka Church—hardly ever using his abilities to harm innocents from the start.

That way of life was due, in part, to his own nature that shied away from venturing outside.

That isn’t to say he never harmed others.

After awakening his ability, he’d diligently honed his power with the support of his Father, who wished for him to use his strength for the family.

Because of that, he had shown no mercy when killing those Assassins before.

Now, as Johannes was going over the rumors about Villains, an old story suddenly came to mind.

There were rumors of a mysterious Organization that modified Monsters and released them on purpose.

A member of the Church had once said that it wasn’t just a ragtag group, but a massive Organization backed by a major corporation.

Seeing the giant Monster that was hard to manage, and the powerful-looking Villain, Johannes thought it was credible information.

It would cost a fortune to produce and control Monsters of that size.

Maybe among the high-ranking figures who visit the Enraka Church Shrine, there’s a sponsor… like J Corporation.

Kaisar, the CEO of J Corporation, whom he’d glimpsed in passing, was a man of tremendous ambition.

Rumors also said he secretly sponsored Villains.

He was also the Father of Laika, whom Johannes disliked.

But there was no rule that said this Villain must be sponsored by Kaisar.

Faces of greedy business and political leaders flashed through his mind.

For the rich to sponsor criminals was nothing unusual.

After all, the tycoons of Gyodam City would easily join hands with criminals to amass even more wealth—just as the Enraka Church had done.

‘Should I deal with the Monster or the Villain first…? Since the Villain seems to be controlling the Monster, I should go after him first.’

Using his heightened vision, unique to high-level ability users, he saw that the Villain was holding a Controller.

It looked like he was using it to control the Monster.

If he hadn’t known there was an Organization modifying Monsters, he would never have realized this.

Johannes rolled his neck from side to side, loosening his body.

When you live as an ability user, all your senses become sharper.

You can often gauge an opponent’s skill without even fighting.

The Villain controlling the Monster looked strong at a glance and didn’t seem easy to defeat.

Aside from a few mental Skills, Johannes mostly had close-combat offensive techniques.

If that Villain had long-range attack Skills, it wouldn’t be a simple fight.

He could even be counterattacked.

“Hoo.”

Johannes took a deep breath, then shouted the Skill’s name in his heart.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, he charged toward the Villain.

The moment Laika, who was controlling the Monster with the Controller, sensed a murderous intent and turned around, Johannes leapt up, raised his leg high, and brought it down on Laika’s head.

KWA-BANG!

“Ugh, who are you?”

Laika, who instantly used <Beastification> to block the attack, asked in a cold voice.

His body had transformed into a black lion.

Ignoring him, Johannes unleashed a rapid barrage of attacks.

As he struck Laika repeatedly with feet hardened like steel, Laika dodged and counterattacked, slashing at Johannes with his now razor-sharp claws.

“What the…? Tsk, just when I thought it was peaceful for a while. Here we go again, really.”

Meanwhile, Iris, who had taken refuge in the restroom, clicked her tongue as she heard the tremendous noise from outside and the familiar cry of “Help!”—a common phrase in Gyodam City.

Which foolhardy Villain had come to cause havoc on Pink Street this time?

Even as she sighed, she didn’t hesitate to transform like a true Hero.

She stepped out of the restroom, ready to run toward where Johannes was, but hesitated for a moment.

‘It would be awkward to run into Johannes.’

After some thought, Iris exited through the opposite door.

Her Transformation Suit had a hallucination function, but if it was Johannes, he’d somehow recognize her right away.

When she got outside, the scene was a spectacle.

Smoke was rising in the distance, and a gigantic Monster, as tall as a two-story building, was swinging its hand and smashing structures.

Fortunately, most citizens had escaped quickly, so the streets were empty.

She pulled out her whip, wrapped it around a streetlamp, and used <Light-Speed Spring> to leap high into the air.

After repeating this a few times, she moved rapidly and climbed up a large tree some distance from the rampaging Monster.

Hiding herself among the dense leaves, she observed the situation—and her eyes widened.

Even after wearing a mask to avoid being recognized, Laika was right at the Monster’s feet.

‘What’s going on, why is Laika here… Ah, what do I do?’

At that moment, Laika looked up, and Iris quickly hid herself.

Her heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it would burst.

But thinking about it, she realized there was no need to be scared.

With her Transformation Suit on, Laika wouldn’t be able to recognize her.

In fact, when they met at Rugang Park, he hadn’t recognized Iris at all.

Even so, guilt made her uneasy.

Gathering her courage, she carefully observed Laika.

He was holding a device that looked like a joystick, using it to control the Monster.

Iris tilted her head at the sight.

‘Why is Laika attacking Pink Street? He could just leave work like this to his subordinates…’

It didn’t make sense, but there must be a reason.

She decided to set aside their brief acquaintance and act as a Hero to stop the Villain from committing crimes.

Iris decided to use her <Clone> Skill.

As she activated the <Clone> Skill, a Clone that looked exactly like her appeared under the tree.

The level of her Skill had risen considerably, so she could maintain it with less energy than before.

She gave the silent order, ‘Attack Laika,’ and the Clone nodded.

But at that moment, a shadowy figure appeared and attacked Laika.

‘Wait, stay back.’

Iris mentally commanded her Clone and focused on the fight between the two.

A man dressed entirely in black was relentlessly attacking Laika, and Laika responded in kind.

A mysterious ability user who appeared out of nowhere—was he a Hero?

Iris recalled her Clone.

Honestly, she hadn’t wanted to fight Laika anyway.

If this person drove Laika away, there was no need to get involved.

Jumping in uninvited could just get in the way.

‘Win, win! Chase Laika off… huh?’

Cheering for the man in black, Iris suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

He mostly used kicking techniques, and his hair was black.

He wore a mask, showing only his eyes, but his build and the air about him—somehow, it wasn’t unfamiliar.

A weird feeling struck her, and she glanced toward the building entrance where Johannes was supposed to be waiting.

Johannes was gone.

‘No way he’d just stay put in a situation like this. Wait in a safe place… No, that’s not possible. Johannes is an ability user. Could that person be Johannes? But he’s a Villain, fighting another Villain?’

On second thought, there was no reason why not.

The Villains of Gyodam City might have crime in common, but they usually worked alone.

There were stories that in Gyodam City, full of betrayals and backstabbing, you shouldn’t trust anyone—even if they’re a Hero.

But why would Johannes, who seemed unlikely to meddle in others’ affairs, attack Laika?

As she puzzled over it, a Monster’s roar rang out, and Iris’s body lurched violently.

The tree snapped with a crack, and she plunged down.

“Kyaah!”

“Ugh!”

Iris swiftly activated her <Light-Speed Spring> Skill and barely dodged the collapsing tree.

Landing on the ground, a small scratch appeared on her hand.

While distracted by the fight, the Monster had slammed the tree she was hiding in with a hand like a cauldron lid.

Clicking her tongue at the Monster for completely smashing the tree, she stiffened.

The air had turned tense.

Creaking awkwardly, she turned her head to find both Johannes and Laika had stopped fighting and were staring at her.

‘Don’t panic. Neither of them will recognize me. Act natural…’

Iris forced an awkward smile and waved as if greeting them.

As a Hero facing Villains, Laika was an old acquaintance, and it was her first time encountering Johannes.

“Haha, hello?”