I Became the Academy’s Kibitz Villain

Chapter 344: The Gathering Madness Show (4)

At that moment, at Seongsan Ilchulbong.

“Seriously, this is driving me crazy.”

Two women, Baridegi and the Thunder Emperor, stood atop Seongsan Ilchulbong, sighing as they watched a dark shadow slithering beneath the water’s surface at sunrise.

“Those lunatics.”

“Sis, don’t curse. They might hear you.”

“I’m saying it so they can hear. Does this even make any sense?”

The Thunder Emperor growled in frustration as she watched things slowly rising from the water’s surface.

Swooosh.

Something was rising, cutting through the water.

Pwooosh.

With a sharp spout of water, the strange whales aimed to dock between the peaks of Seongsan Ilchulbong and settle on the beach.

It was clearly not the behavior of ordinary whales.

“What, what is this? Why are they coming this way?!”

“They’re not normal! Damn it, what’s the navy doing that they’re not stopping the whales?!”

“Because they’re whales!”

“Argh!”

The ability users of the association, who had been setting up barricades on the beach, screamed and fled as the herd of whales crashed straight into their defenses.

“Damn those bastards…!”

“Sis! No! If they really are just whales, you’ll get in trouble!”

“Do you expect me to just sit here when it’s obvious what’s inside?!”

As Baridegi held back the Thunder Emperor, who was preparing to fire lightning at the whales, the whales, their bodies covered in scars, thrashed their tails left and right as they crashed headfirst into the sandy beach.

Swooosh!

The whales slid onto the beach, their heads crashing into the sand as they plowed forward.

Unless humans intervened or the tide reached their mouths to sweep them back into the sea, there was no way they could return to the ocean.

It wasn’t a natural occurrence unless they were deliberately committing mass suicide on land.

Although whale suicides were not unheard of, a herd sliding ashore like this on Jeju Island was a rare sight.

This was, of course, not a natural phenomenon, but the work of humans.

Screeech!

The head of one whale split open.

Like a clean cut from a sharp blade, the whale’s head split in two, and a man leisurely stepped out from inside.

“That bastard!”

The Thunder Emperor cursed as she landed in front of the man.

As she fell, she unleashed her lightning upon the man, but he easily deflected it with a swing of the typical katana at his waist.

“Tsk, tsk. What are you trying to do now?”

“Shut up, you traitor!”

“A traitor? I merely naturalized to Japan for the sake of my love.”

The man, dressed in a black suit with slitted eyes, arrogantly rested his katana on his shoulder.

“Domo, Thunder Emperor-san. I am Yasuo.”

“If you’re in Korea, speak Korean!”

“You understood my introduction, didn’t you?”

“You…!”

“Oh, come now. You’re not seriously going to attack a ‘refugee swallowed by a whale,’ are you?”

The young man shrugged, and soon, ability users began emerging from holes in the whales all around.

“You see, we were just boating off Okinawa when, lo and behold, these whales swallowed us up.”

They were all dressed in traditional Japanese attire and looked like typical Japanese people.

“Next thing we knew, oh my! We’d arrived in Jeju. As refugees, you’ll let us stay, right?”

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

Baridegi leapt from the peak and landed on the beach in an instant.

“My, my, I-rin! It’s been a while.”

“Shut your mouth. Don’t call my name so casually.”

“How cold. You used to follow me around so eagerly.”

“If you don’t want to die, show some respect. S-class villain, Okamoto Yasuo. Or should I call you by your real name, Lee Jae-min?”

“Oh dear, oh dear. You’re being so harsh on someone who’s only here to retrieve my dear friend’s remains. And to exorcise a ghost, of course.”

“Weren’t you just saying you got swallowed by a whale?”

“Well, that’s just the official story. I-rin, if you don’t stand aside quietly, there won’t be a violent clash, will there?”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Hmph…! International villain or not! Even if you brought your entire team, the justification is on our side! Everyone, prepare for battle!!”

At the Thunder Emperor’s command, everyone on the coast picked up their weapons and readied themselves for battle.

“How disappointing.”

“What should we do, boss? Kill them all?”

“Whoa, hold on. We can’t kill them. If we do, Gwang Ik Gong from Busan will fly over and wipe us all out.”

Yasuo chuckled wickedly as he rested his sword on his shoulder.

“Let’s just play nice and meet at our respective destinations. Now, everyone…”

Click.

“Set them free!!”

Yasuo and five other ability users assumed the same pose and got into position.

“”“““Transformation!! Mushi Ranger, on!!”““““

[Is that the Super Ranger from the mainland?]

[This is so embarrassing.]

Under the pretext of a field trip with Yumir, we had come to catch the biggest bait related to the Seon Ga-eul case, only to witness an utterly cringeworthy scene.

[Mushi Rangers? What the hell is that? Are they all bugs or something?]

[Each ability user’s ego is unique. Let me teach you something more.]

I pointed to the five Super Rangers, each glowing in red, blue, yellow, green, and pink.

[When someone is consumed by their concept, it means their ego is clear and distinct.]

[So, does that make their abilities stronger?]

[Of course.]

In this world, the stronger one’s ego, the more powerful their abilities become.

It was often described as “the ability to impose one’s will on the world,” and those guys were currently making their presence known.

[But science is still science.]

“Yasuo, Iza Mairuuu!”

Swinging a katana around like the wind, the Red Ranger, Yaions, was charging at the Korean Hero Association agents, slashing at them wildly.

“Kraaaah!”

“Sung-hyun! You traitor!”

“Heh, heh, keep cursing me! More, more!!”

Yaions laughed louder as he kicked one of the agents in the chest.

“Curse me all you want! Hahaha!”

“You piece of trash…!”

“And what are you going to do about it?!”

The Thunder Emperor swung her lightning-covered spear at Yaions, but he deflected it with his katana.

“I’ll live however I want, so what’s it to you?!”

“Do you have no conscience?! Are you even human?!”

“Would you rather I be a demon or a monster?!”

He shot back at the Thunder Emperor, not letting her get the last word.

[He’s really irritating. Does he want to be cursed at that badly…?]

Yumir shook her head as she watched Yaions.

[They said he’s an S-class villain, but that guy’s not a hero, right?]

[Technically, he’s a villain affiliated with Japan. Do you know about the Yakuza?]

[Japanese mafia?]

[Something like that. They act like Super Rangers, but in reality, they’re Yakuza members playing the role of Japan’s enforcers. And their leader is that guy, Yaions. He became an S-class villain by enhancing his powers through treason.]

[Treason…?]

Boom, boom, KABOOM!

Explosions echoed around us.

The fight between the Thunder Emperor and Yaions had turned into a full-fledged one-on-one, but the villains that had come with Yaions weren’t just ordinary ones.

[All five of those people were originally Korean.]

[I don’t get it. Why did they defect to Japan? With their strength, if they stayed in Korea, they’d be as popular as two S-class heroes.]

Bang!

Baridegi fired her enchanted bullets, sniping at the remaining treasonous Rangers.

Though they struggled to close the distance with her, Baridegi was alone, and there were four of them.

“You cowardly people!”

“Angry? So what are you going to do about it?”

“If you’re so mad, why don’t you try stopping us!”

As two S-class Rangers distracted Baridegi, the remaining two A-class Rangers methodically took down the Hero Association agents, one by one.

“Are you insane?! Do you really think you’ll get away with this?!”

“We wouldn’t be doing this if we thought we wouldn’t!”

They weren’t interested in talking.

They were only provoking further anger from their opponents.

[They really know how to get under people’s skin.]

[That’s their strength.]

[Huh?]

[Their ego is based on treason.]

These people gained power from the anger of Koreans.

[Their joy, their pride, and the enhancement of their abilities all come from enraging others. Naturally, betraying Korea and antagonizing Koreans only makes them stronger.]

An ability user would do anything to become stronger.

Even if it meant defecting to Japan, changing their name to a Japanese one, and making themselves objects of Korean hatred, all for the sake of growing stronger.

[Yumir, you gain strength from the desire to purify and save corrupted souls. I gain power from my resolve to execute the wicked.]

[Wait, no way…]

[That’s right. They gain power from making others angry.]

That was how they thought.

[And that’s why they’re villains.]

They were sadomasochists of sorts.

And for them, their betrayal of Korea manifested as this “patriotic traitor” act.

[Technically, the Secret Society wouldn’t normally get involved. But these guys are one of the Society’s dirty little secrets.]

[What do you mean?]

[It was a villain from the Secret Society that created these traitors.]

Through hypnosis and gaslighting, a single S-class villain and four A-class villains were brainwashed into abandoning their Korean nationality and defecting to Japan.

[We realized too late that continuous hypnosis could turn potential heroes into treasonous villains. By the time we figured it out, they had already crossed over to Japan.]

Seon Ga-eul manipulated them into defecting.

That was why she was called the Witch of the Rising Sun.

She committed patriotic gaslighting, causing Korea to lose valuable resources—two S-class and three A-class talents—to Japan.

-I sent them to Japan so the Secret Society could more easily control Korea!!

A treasonous legacy left by a woman who acted on her own, without the Chief’s orders.

[Time for me to step in.]

I donned my goblin scholar attire, rather than my usual gentleman outfit.

[As the Executioner of Villains.]

[Are you going to kill them?]

[If they do something worthy of death, I might.]

However,

[If their crimes aren’t that bad, I’ll spare them.]

I pressed my mask firmly with my hand, then leapt forward.

Flash.

As soon as I passed through the golden dimensional gate, I saw Yaions swinging his sword, as if he were about to unleash some kind of ultimate move.

“Wind slic—huh?”

SMASH!

Before he could react, I brought my Goblin Bat down with all my strength.