Winterer proposed a condition for negotiation: “I won’t commit murder.”

 

Seol Ha-yeon questioned it.

 

“…Did I hear that wrong? A villain claiming not to kill?”

 

“You’re not deaf from old age, so don’t worry!”

 

“Hah.”

 

The answer remained as incredulous as ever.

 

Seol Ha-yeon immediately sensed it.

 

This was a trap to lure her in.

 

It was just words meant to deceive her into a deadly situation.

 

‘It’s a worthless lie, but… it’s perfect for buying time.’

 

“Just yesterday, five villains attacked Awakener Seo Yu-jin. Do you say such things even after witnessing that?”

 

However, she left room for conversation.

 

This sociopath’s scheme would buy Alice and Shia time to defuse the ice bomb.

 

Winterer’s smile deepened.

 

“Well, you guys keep harassing us. We can’t manage those pestering bitches while on the run.”

 

“A leader who can’t manage their subordinates. Why should I listen to that?”

 

“If you stop harassing us. No, if you officially recognize me, the story changes. First….”

 

Then she explained her plan.

 

Villains inevitably emerge.

 

Just as there is darkness if there is light, villains are born at the moment of awakening.

 

“What wrong have we done? Is it a sin to awaken wrongly? Is being born a sin?”

 

“…….”

 

“Until we awakened, we were just ordinary people. We had families and friends.”

 

They didn’t choose to become villains.

 

We were once like you.

 

“Honestly, I understand why you do this. We’re the ones who feel things when killing people. It makes sense.”

 

“You understand well.”

 

“So, this Winterer here will take charge. I will govern and control these pitiful monsters.”
I will step up to manage them.

 

I will prevent them from killing civilians.

 

I will stop them from committing crimes.

 

Therefore…

 

“We want only one thing. Coexistence. To stop killing each other and acknowledge our differences.”

 

Let’s live together.

 

A proposal that sounded as beautiful as a fairy tale.

 

But Seol Ha-yeon immediately shook her head.

 

After overcoming numerous hardships, her innocence had long since worn away.

 

“Resisting the urge to kill? Villains are worse than heroin addicts. It’s impossible.”

 

“Agreed. We need to kill people. Otherwise, we explode from holding back.”

 

“……?”

 

“But it doesn’t have to be you. There are many others in other countries. Villains who deserve to die.”

 

“……!!!”

 

Perhaps sensing Seol Ha-yeon’s skepticism,

 

Winterer’s fairy tale suddenly turned into a realistic discussion.

 

Accepting and recognizing the urge to kill.

 

Directing that urge to villains outside the country.

 

Becoming a villain mercenary dealing with villains in other countries.

 

It was a suggestion that even momentarily startled Seol Ha-yeon.

 

‘Well, in Korea, due to villain rights and all, they are captured alive, but usually, immediate execution is the principle….’

 

In other countries, like the United States, hundreds die daily due to villains.

 

They wouldn’t care about the life of a villain.

 

In other countries, villains were treated like pests to be killed on sight.

 

But what if villain mercenaries were sent from Korea to handle villains?

 

If they didn’t run away, didn’t mess around, and just vented their urge to kill and returned?

 

They could kill with efficiency incomparable to deploying Awakeners.

 

If Awakeners are specialists in killing monsters, villains are experts in killing people.

 

The national benefits from this would be unquestionable.

 

The only problem was,

 

“It’s absurd. Villains can’t selectively kill.”

 

The sheer implausibility of it.

 

For the past 40 years, humanity had tried to embrace villains.

 

When one’s family, friends, or colleagues became killers overnight, how could they kill them in one stroke?

 

Humanity had tried their best to reform villains.

 

But it was impossible.

 

Humans and villains couldn’t coexist…

 

“As if. Can’t you see I’m not killing this bald guy? We do pick and choose to some extent.”

 

“He, heeek….”

 

As if denying the doubt, Winterer gently rubbed the bald head of the hostage.

 

Given her abilities, it wouldn’t be surprising if she killed him right then and there.

 

But the hostage, the Japanese Prime Minister, remained unharmed.

 

Winterer herself also seemed indifferent.

 

As if she didn’t feel any urge to kill.

 

Seol Ha-yeon frowned.

 

“Hah.”

 

‘Bullshit.’

 

It was a plausible story, but…

 

Her intuition screamed that it was a blatant lie.

 

A fancy bullshit.

 

Just a ploy to use the hostage as bait to catch her, the big fish.

 

Wrinkles formed on Seol Ha-yeon’s forehead.

 

She couldn’t read Winterer’s intentions.

 

‘My nature should be known. Why such a scheme….’

 

-Rumbling noise.

 

“Is it true?”

 

“It seems worth listening to.”

 

“Chairman! If Winterer can really control the villains…!”

 

“Why are you all… hmm?”

 

Her wrinkles deepened a bit more.

 

Because of the agitation of the Awakeners surrounding her.

 

‘It wasn’t meant for me to hear. It was to shake the Awakeners who grew up in Korea, the strongest Awakener nation, and who hadn’t experienced villains.’

 

She knew. Villains were irredeemable trash.

 

As an early Awakener who had experienced all sorts of horrors, how could she not know?

 

But… what about the young ones these days?

 

Few had directly encountered villains.

 

Even then, those were limited to the villain tracking squad members.

 

Inexperienced Awakeners harbored false hopes.

 

Hopes from watching some cartoon or reading some manga, thinking they could reform villains.

 

Hoping everyone could be happy.

 

A sigh came out naturally.

 

[What do you think about the possibility of reforming villains?]

 

[I guarantee, it’s absolutely impossible.]

 

‘Yu-jin is just an exception. Are all the youngsters like this?’

 

A sudden praise for Yu-jin came as a bonus.

 

However, Winterer casually reached out her hand.

 

As if asking for reconciliation.

 

“If you like it, come shake hands!”

 

“Is a handshake necessary?”

 

“Ahaha. Even after saying this, you still treat me as a monster? Then… we have no choice but to become monsters? As you wish. Forever.”

 

“…….”

 

“Choose. Shake hands with me and create a villain-free Korea, or let the bombs explode, killing tens of thousands, and continue the cycle of killing and being killed by villains.”

 

If you don’t see us as monsters, shake hands with me.

 

If you see us as monsters, we’ll become monsters as you wish.

 

An extreme dichotomy.

 

The surroundings buzzed.

 

“…Wouldn’t it be better to at least have a conversation?”

 

“If Winterer is right, the civilian casualties will be uncontrollable.”

 

Even her deputy suggested, ‘Shouldn’t we just take it for now?’

 

Seol Ha-yeon sighed and glanced at her phone to check the time.

 

Exactly 20 minutes had passed since arriving at the scene.

 

As her intuition predicted.

 

‘…Should I buy three more minutes.’

 

-Step. Step.

 

“Chairman?”

 

“Don’t follow me. I’m going alone.”

 

I slipped out of the group of Awakeners and walked slowly.

 

Past the cracked and broken road, towards Winterer.

 

A smile formed on Winterer’s lips.

 

“You’ve made a wise decision. We also….”

 

“———Let this old woman tell you a story.”

 

“……?”

 

At that moment, a smile also formed on Seol Ha-yeon’s lips.

 

“I still remember it vividly. Thirty-three years ago, around the time it was revealed that villains weren’t just criminals drunk on power.”

 

“Wait a minute. What are you talking about?”

 

“We captured a freshly awakened villain. Back then, we called them mutants. We caught one at a murder scene, right in a bustling city.”

 

She was already painting the past scene in front of her eyes.

 

The 80s. The days she devoted her youth to Korea.

 

When the world still viewed Awakeners as monsters.

 

“There was only one victim. Nowadays, it would be a major news event, but back then, that was just everyday life.”

 

“Why are you suddenly talking about the past?”

 

“Just listen. I immediately subdued her. Unlike now, there were no special restraints for Awakeners, so I had to do it physically.”

 

Seol Ha-yeon’s voice slowed down a bit.

 

Partly to buy more time…

 

But mostly because it wasn’t something to be spoken of lightly.

 

“I was struggling with her barehanded when a woman came running in a hurry. It was the villain’s mother.”

 

“Wait, what does that have to do with now?”

 

“Do you know what she said to me? ‘Oh my goodness, why are you doing this to my child? It’s a special day, and you’ve turned her all bloody. What if she gets a scar on her face and can’t get married?’ – she said.”

 

Only the sound of the wind blowing could be heard on the road.

 

Everyone held their breath and listened.

 

Her story had that much weight.

 

“I pointed at the corpse and shouted. ‘Can’t you see that? Your daughter did that. She’s no longer the daughter you knew.'”

 

“But how could a mother abandon her daughter? She hit me instead. Saying ‘There’s no way my child would do that. Let her go, you monster.'”

 

“Though the force was nothing to an Awakener… it seemed to be enough of a distraction for the villain I was holding down.”

 

“When I came to my senses, I was floating in the air. The villain had kicked me away.”

 

After telling this story,

 

Seol Ha-yeon scanned the surroundings.

 

The Awakeners who had been excited earlier.

 

To her, they looked like children covered in blood.

 

“Let me ask you. What do you think the villain did next?”

 

-Rumbling noise.

 

The surroundings buzzed at the question.

 

In contrast, Winterer frowned.

 

She knew all too well what a villain would do.

 

“Shut that mouth right now…….”

 

“———She lunged at her mother and tore out her throat.”

 

“……!!!!!”

 

A chorus of gasps echoed.

 

“I never knew a human neck could bleed that much. It was like a hot fountain of blood.”

 

“So, I immediately killed her. Back then, there were no standards like S-class or anything, but a freshly awakened villain was no match for me.”

 

“Then I asked. Why didn’t you attack me? Why attack your innocent mother instead, even after managing to throw me off?”

 

The Chairman’s steps finally halted.

 

The distance between her and Winterer was a mere 5 meters.

 

Their eyes met.

 

“What do you think she said, Winterer?”

 

“……Tch. To get one last taste before being captured.”

 

“Correct. It was more rational to kill the nearby person rather than fight someone they couldn’t defeat.”

 

Winterer’s eyes were fiercely glaring, as if she had never spoken of peace.

 

“So, I’ll control those bitches.”

 

“I wouldn’t even remember this if it were just that. Back then, villain matricide was common.”

 

“Listen to me….”

 

“But the reason I still remember this is because.”

 

Seol Ha-yeon also looked down at Winterer coldly, as if she had never smiled.

 

“Next to her, the mother, bleeding out, desperately crawled to me. With her throat bubbling with blood, she said, ‘I’m fine, my Min-kyung would never do this. Please, pretend you didn’t see it. I’m fine,’ she said.”

 

“………!!!”

 

“That damn woman….”

 

“The villain, from beside her, laughed, saying ‘She says she’s fine, so let me go.'”

 

Awakeners covered their mouths in shock.

 

Winterer openly showed her hostility.

 

Seol Ha-yeon raised her hand.

 

“This is what you, villains, are.”

 

“Shit, hey!!!! Everyone, attack this bitch!!”

 

-Kwaang!!

 

“Puhaha, finally!!”

 

“You unlucky bitch!!! Die!!!”

 

“……!! Chairman!!!!”

 

At the same time, villains jumped out from all directions.

 

There were nearly fifty of them, but…

 

“For the third and final time, there will be no negotiations with villains.”

 

Seol Ha-yeon simply, with her raised fingers,

 

-Snap.

 

“———I bought us 25 minutes, Yu-jin.”

 

A finger snap.

 

As the sound imbued with magic pierced through the chaotic road,

 

“Master!!”

 

-Thunderous roar!!!!!

 

“………!!!!!?”

 

With a deafening noise, purple trails filled the sky.

 

Like dozens of whirlwinds swirling together.

 

A storm was coming.