Chapter 45: Where Heroes Bury Their Sins

Somehow, I managed to manipulate Jade—the woman famous for her intelligence.

Even without me asking, she was now personally guiding me into the underground level.

She even used her mirror abilities to conceal my presence.

…Huh.

Maybe I was just lucky.

I walked behind Jade in silence.

A few moments later, she stopped and opened a hidden door.

We descended a narrow staircase, heading deeper underground.

Just as I suspected, Jade knew exactly where the poison production facility was located.

She had been deceived in the past—told that this place was merely a waste disposal room.

But if one thought about it logically…

Why would a building belonging to the Hero Association—an organization supposedly dedicated only to protecting civilians—need a waste production facility?

It never made sense.

We passed through a drainage corridor filled with glowing green liquid.

It shimmered faintly in the darkness, illuminating the concrete walls.

This was the same poison they had used on So-ah.

“So… this is what you used to believe was ordinary waste?” I asked calmly.

Jade, who was walking ahead of me, stopped abruptly.

“Y-Yes… I really thought it was just waste back then…”

“Huh. There’s no such thing as waste that glows bright green like this.”

At that, Jade turned her face away from me.

I could tell her cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

She wasn’t wrong.

Back then, she was still naïve—too trusting, too easily deceived.

We continued forward.

After a while, we reached a steel door marked with bold red letters:

AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY

“This is it?” I asked.

“Yes. This room is directly connected to the glowing liquid system.”

Jade hesitated for a moment, then turned back toward me.

“Are you planning to destroy it immediately?”

“Of course.”

“Then… leave one person alive inside. Just one.”

“…For what reason?”

“I’ll need them,” Jade replied quietly. “To make others side with me.”

I paused.

That was… actually a good idea.

As expected from an American genius.

It hadn’t even crossed my mind.

“Fine,” I said. “Then how will you explain the destruction of this facility? You’re not planning to say I did it, are you?”

Jade let out a soft laugh.

“Of course not. Leave that to me. I’ll handle the aftermath.

All you need to do… is complete our plan.”

Our plan.

She said it naturally now—as if this had always been a shared goal.

…Interesting.

After finalizing a few details, Jade left first, making sure no one would grow suspicious.

I turned back to the door and gently pushed it.

“Oh? Locked…”

I focused my power, compressing a thin strand of solidified light, guiding it into the keyhole.

With precise pressure—

Click.

The door unlocked.

I opened it slowly.

I had expected a large factory-like space.

I was wrong.

This place wasn’t a factory.

It was a dungeon.

A filthy, underground prison.

I stepped inside.

Metal cages lined the walls.

Inside them were skeletons—some long dead.

Others were still alive… barely.

Their eyes were hollow, their bodies emaciated, mouths unable to even form words.

This was cruelty on the same level as Professor Teros—the monster I had killed in the past.

I wanted to free them.

But I knew it would be meaningless.

Most of them would be dead within minutes even if I did.

As I continued walking deeper, I reached another door.

Voices echoed faintly from inside.

I pressed my ear against it.

“No… please… let me go… I can’t take it anymore…”

A woman’s voice—weak, exhausted.

“Are you deaf!? Produce more poison! We all need it!”

That voice…

I was certain.

He was the one torturing her.

From the exchange alone, I could guess:

The woman was responsible for producing the poison.

Hero or villain—I didn’t know.

But she clearly possessed the ability to create it.

Then I heard the sound of a whip.

Crack.

Her sobbing grew louder, hoarser.

“Please… forgive me… I really can’t anymore…”

Another whip.

My chest tightened.

From what I could tell, there were at least two people inside.

Possibly more guards.

…So what?

Why should I be afraid?

I stepped back—

And kicked the door with all my strength.

The door blasted open, metal bending violently.

“WHO’S THERE!?”

A man shouted.

I walked inside.

“Yahoo. It’s me—Indigo. Your worst nightmare.”

“W-What!?”

The room resembled an altar.

Large, circular, with a raised stone platform in the center.

That was where the woman had been forced to work.

“Indigo!? H-How did you get in here!?”

The man wearing a white coat—like a professor—staggered back in fear.

“How did I get here?” I tilted my head. “No idea myself.”

“Tch… it doesn’t matter! You’ve made a grave mistake coming here! Guards!”

Dozens of armed soldiers appeared instantly, weapons aimed at me.

“Do you really think weapons like that can stop me?”

The professor smirked.

“They may look ordinary—but the bullets inside can paralyze even supernatural beings like you!”

Oh?

That was new.

In the original comic, there was never any mention of bullets capable of neutralizing ability users.

“So that’s how it is,” I said calmly. “Then let’s test it.”

I walked forward.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

“Shoot him! NOW!”

They opened fire.

The bullets were different—small, glowing blue projectiles.

But it didn’t matter.

I had already awakened.

As the bullets reached me, they vanished—pulled into an invisible void, as if reality itself refused to let its master be harmed.

I continued walking.

“What are you doing!? Why isn’t a single bullet hitting him!?”

“S-Sir! There’s some kind of barrier—none of our shots are getting through!”

I shifted my power.

Lightnova.

A blade of pure light formed in my hand.

In an instant—

I vanished.

Then reappeared among them.

Heads fell.

One after another.

Blood sprayed across the floor.

The guards collapsed simultaneously.

The professor froze.

Completely petrified.

…I really should thank Yaroslav someday.

Thanks to killing him, I gained the ability to imitate the powers of both heroes and villains.

I slowly turned toward the professor.

“Well then,” I said quietly.

“Shall we talk about your sins?”

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