am-books Chapter 248: Ep 248 – Apology
Chapter 248: Ep 248 – Apology
Ep 248 – Apology
[What? I really thought you wouldn’t make it this time, but you’ve blocked it again... I’m quite taken aback! Alright, this time is the real last one! Let’s see if you can block it this time. I’ll give you 25 minutes! The location is...]
After Egostic’s indiscriminate missile terror in various areas, quite a bit of time had passed.
And Stardus...
“Haa, haa.”
She was now on the brink of collapsing.
“He said it was the last one earlier... Why is it the real last one this time...!”
With that lament, she felt like she was about to crumble, but there was no one to lend an ear.
Egostic seemed to have stockpiled missiles in some warehouse or something because no matter how many Stardus intercepted, he kept saying he would bring more from somewhere else.
As a result, Stardus was currently flying almost one lap around Seoul.
For some reason, the place where Egostic picked for the next location was always the farthest possible from her.
“Haa, haa...”
As a result, she had been flying in the sky all day long.
It was almost a relief that he didn’t tell her to go to Jeju Island...
“Yeah... I can just go, right...”
Muttering like that, almost in a dazed state, she propelled her body into the sky.
And in that state, she regained her posture and, at the same time, drove into the air.
Boooom-
Fwoooosh-.
A booming noise could be heard in the sky, and her body was propelled into the sky almost at full speed.
Yeah.
After almost an entire day of spinning around Stardus flying speed had broken the previous limit, and she was almost 50% faster, at least subjectively.
So, whether it was because she had adapted physically or not, she slowly began to think.
“Now it seems somewhat doable, doesn’t it...?”
In the first and second rounds, she almost died for real, but from the third round onwards, she got used to it and entered a state of indifference where it wasn’t as difficult as before.
Of course, she was still likely to die... but even so, with this pace, it seemed somewhat doable.
And just as she was having those thoughts...
“...?”
Suddenly, in the sky, it began to snow.
“...What’s this?”
White pellets fluttered from the sky like some sort of tiny snow.
...No, upon closer inspection, it really looked like snow.
Wasn’t winter over a long time ago...?
As she was flying and pondering this with a vacant mind...
Suddenly, the snowflakes began to grow larger.
Now it was almost like a heavy snowfall.
The visibility was so poor.
“What’s going on?”
What on earth was happening? Just as she was pondering this with a dazed mind, she heard a broadcast from Egostic.
[Yes! Since Stardus is flying so well right now, I’ve decided to add an obstacle. From now on, there will be snowfall in Stardus’s flight path. Thank you!]
Thud.
Stardus, who was flying aimlessly through the sky, uttered in a dazed voice, not even realizing it due to the dizzying vertigo.
“This... this... this little...!”
“Hmm...”
...Thinking about spending the whole day spinning around and personally meeting her made me break into a cold sweat, even at the thought of running away.
Should I run away now...? The thought crossed my mind.
However...
“...”
...My inner intuition warned me that if I didn’t meet her right now, I might be in real trouble. So I decided to meet her.
...Let’s be careful. Be careful...
***
Amidst the strong winds blowing in the blue sky, it seemed like the sun was setting, casting a reddish hue in the sky. Stardus, who had just sent another missile soaring into the sky, was sprawled on the rooftop of a nearby building, leaning against it while panting heavily.
[Wow, I really didn’t know you’d block this one too. Just now, that was my last missile. Well then, let’s finish today’s terror here. I hope the people of South Korea appreciate having Stardus!]
As she held her throbbing head, Egostic’s broadcast echoed in her ears.
“Now, it’s really... Haa... It’s truly the end...”
Stardus muttered through heavy breaths.
She thought she was going to die for real. Really. It felt like a training session from her early hero days, but now someone was holding a missile and threatening her, making her fly all over the place. Especially when lightning struck her in between...
“Ugh...”
Stardus, with her head spinning, leaned against the rooftop railing while gasping for air.
“Egostic...”
At that moment, as she mumbled his name, a familiar voice spoke from right behind her.
“Haha, did you call me?”
“...!”
The familiar voice came from right behind her. Startled, she reflexively turned around.
There, she saw Egostic floating in the sky, wearing a dignified expression and greeting her.
“Hello, Stardus. It’s been a while.”
Egostic smiled and looked at her from above.
“You... Youuu...”
“Haha...”
As she stared up at him with bewildered eyes, he looked away apologetically. He appeared genuinely sorry.
“Are you... alright?”
“Do you think I’m alright...?”
“H-Haha...”
Seeing his embarrassed coughing and the look of guilt on his face, she found herself at a loss for words.
He seemed genuinely apologetic. Her unexpected reaction left her momentarily speechless.
She felt a sense of apology and guilt from him.
Unable to anticipate this response, she felt confused for a moment. She had expected him to shamelessly laugh it off and say something like, “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?” But instead, he was apologizing, and that caught her off guard. A villain feeling sorry for causing trouble...
‘Really...’
It was absurd.
She thought that while her anger was gradually subsiding.
In reality, thinking about it, couldn’t villains have reasons for behaving this way? Perhaps he had valid circumstances that made him extend the time, seeing as she was running late. Maybe there were unavoidable reasons.
Wait a minute. Isn’t this going too far...?
As she contemplated whether to express her anger or not, she was conflicted within herself.
And in that very moment,
...
The sun was slowly setting, dyeing the sky in a deep shade of red.