Chapter 44: While Heroes Looked Away

In the middle of New York City,

countless heroes flew back and forth through the night sky, as if desperately searching for something.

Some of them moved on foot.

Others sped through the streets in armored vehicles.

An overwhelming number of heroes had been deployed—

all just to capture a single man.

Indigo.

S-Rank Hero Ashley hovered in the air, her eyes scanning the city below.

Her long hair fluttered violently in the strong night wind.

That night, the clock ticked closer and closer to its limit.

8:59 PM.

The heroes were exhausted.

Mentally and physically drained.

They were beginning to lose hope.

Indigo had hidden himself too well—so well that not a single one of them had managed to locate him.

*On Top of a Skyscraper*

I stood quietly on the rooftop of the tallest skyscraper in the city,

watching the heroes desperately search for me below.

It was almost amusing.

Here I was, standing at the highest point in New York,

yet not a single one of them even considered looking up.

I glanced at my wristwatch.

9:00 PM.

Time to fulfill my promise.

Time to create chaos.

*Back in the City Center*

The massive billboard screens that had gone dark suddenly flickered back to life.

Static crackled.

Then—

a live broadcast appeared.

Indigo.

[Hello everyone.]

My masked face filled the screen.

[It seems your heroes weren’t competent enough to find me. Not a single one of them succeeded.]

A few seconds passed.

[So… just like I said earlier—please enjoy my gift from Korea.]

Suddenly, dozens—no, hundreds—of dark blue lights began appearing in the air across the city.

They expanded.

Then shrank.

And in the next instant—

—BOOOOM!

Explosions erupted everywhere.

Thousands of detonations echoed throughout New York.

Buildings collapsed.

Glass shattered.

Entire streets were engulfed in fire.

Civilians screamed in terror, running for their lives.

Heroes froze for a split second—

then immediately moved to protect the citizens.

When the explosions finally stopped,

the city looked like it had been devoured by hell itself.

Sirens wailed nonstop.

[ALERT. ALERT.]

[An S-Rank Villain from Korea, Indigo Reign, has appeared in New York.]

[This is not a training. All civilians are advised to evacuate immediately.]

People cried.

People screamed.

They could only run.

They had no way to fight back.

*Indigo’s Perspective*

Perfect.

This should be more than enough to divert their attention.

I leapt off the skyscraper without hesitation.

The violent wind tore against my body as I free-fell through the night sky.

After a few seconds, I teleported—

reappearing atop another building.

Then another.

I ran, jumped, teleported.

This mission was dangerous.

If I failed, everything would end here.

Eventually, I hid myself within the shadows, carefully observing the American Hero Association Building.

Entering through the main entrance would be suicide.

And I had to conserve my energy.

I’d already burned through nearly half of it—

between the explosions and repeated teleportation.

I studied the structure closely.

Searching for a weakness.

Then I noticed it.

A cracked window.

Someone must have shattered it earlier to escape.

Judging by its position…

29th floor.

*Jade’s Side*

“Tch… why would they break a window just to leave…”

Jade muttered as she walked toward the exit door.

But before she could reach it—

Her steps stopped.

Her body trembled.

A chilling presence crawled up her spine.

Behind her—

Emerging from the cracked window—

stood a man wearing a black mask, a black suit, and a flowing black cloak.

A black hat shadowed his face.

His hands were clasped calmly behind his back.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t touch that door?”

The voice was calm.

Too calm.

Jade slowly turned her head.

“…Indigo.”

“Yes. That’s right,” I replied lightly.

“It’s me—Indigo~”

She swallowed hard.

Fear flooded her entire body.

Jade was a hero with glass-based abilities.

Through glass, she could attack, manipulate perception,

and even escape using reflective surfaces.

But now—

Her fear paralyzed her.

She crossed her index and middle fingers.

Several shards of glass appeared in the air, reflecting my image.

“Glass, huh… A C-Rank ability,” I said casually.

“But in your hands, it becomes S-Rank. That’s impressive, Miss Jade.”

Her hands trembled violently.

Cold sweat drenched her body.

She couldn’t respond.

“Let’s stop this pointless fight,” I continued.

“I have an offer for you.”

“An… offer?”

I stepped forward.

The glass shards blocking my path vanished instantly under my power.

Jade’s eyes widened in shock.

I leaned closer.

Then whispered into her ear.

“Let’s work together.”

Her body froze.

“I’ll explain,” I said calmly.

“The Hero Association is rotten to its core. I want your help.”

“R-rotten…? W-what do you mean…?”

“Beneath this building,” I said quietly,

“there’s a massive underground facility used to produce a lethal poison.”

Jade’s breath caught.

She knew nothing about this.

“What…? That can’t be true…”

“That poison is embedded into the weapons you heroes use to kill villains.”

Her confusion deepened.

“Isn’t… killing villains normal?”

“Sure,” I replied.

“But many heroes abuse it. They don’t just kill villains—they kill their own comrades… even innocent civilians.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Her knees nearly gave out.

Despite her high position in the Association,

this information had been hidden from her.

Because they knew—

She despised poison.

Jade stood frozen, eyes wide, breathing shallow.

“I… I don’t know what to do…”

“You can help me,” I said softly.

“My goal here is to destroy those poisons.”

She hesitated.

“So… how do I help you…?”

“Simple,” I answered.

“Support me from the shadows. Gather your faction. Turn heroes against the Association. Start a rebellion.”

“If I only destroy the factory, they’ll just build another one.”

Her throat tightened.

Then—

I pulled out a small bottle.

Inside it sloshed a thick, glowing green liquid.

Jade gasped.

She remembered it.

She had seen it once—

when she was about to be promoted to Hero Secretary.

The Director had told her it was harmless waste.

“You remember what this is, don’t you?”

“…Y-yes.”

“Do you remember why heroes who refuse to use it are always paired with someone who does… and never return alive?”

Her mind flashed back.

Her older brother—Amon.

An A-Rank Hero declared dead during a mission.

Back then, Jade believed villains were responsible.

Now—

She finally understood the truth.

Tears streamed down her face.

I gently wiped them away.

“Hush… stop crying,” I whispered.

“This is your chance to avenge your brother.”

Hope ignited in her eyes.

“…Alright,” she said quietly.

“I’ll help you.”

Behind my mask—

Yoo Jinhoo smiled.

My manipulation of Jade had succeeded.

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