Chapter 57: The Shadow That Should Not Lead

I teleported again, following the lingering trail of darkness Helena had left behind.

From one building to another.

From rooftop to rooftop.

Each teleport felt heavier than the last, as if the darkness itself was resisting my pursuit.

Then—

The moment I landed on the edge of a high-rise rooftop, I stopped.

Five figures stood in my path.

They blocked the darkness ahead of me, standing firmly as if declaring that I was not allowed to proceed any further.

I narrowed my eyes.

“…Who are you?”

I didn’t recognize them.

Three women.

One with short blue hair, her eyes sharp and cautious.

One with brown hair tied loosely, her stance relaxed yet alert.

And one with dark green hair, her expression cold and unreadable.

The remaining two were men, both standing slightly behind the women, hands close to their weapons.

They were young.

Too young.

High schoolers?

Or perhaps barely older than that.

Yet they dared to stand in my way.

“You’d better stop following this trail.”

The blue-haired girl spoke calmly, but there was tension in her voice.

“And who exactly do you think you are,” I replied coldly, “to block my path so confidently?”

They didn’t answer.

They simply stared at me.

I shifted my gaze slightly—and then I saw it.

On the neck of the blue-haired girl, partially hidden beneath her collar, was a tattoo.

Greek letters.

Simple.

Ancient.

The Eternal Pillar.

“…Ah.”

Everything clicked into place.

“So that’s how it is,” I muttered.

I straightened my posture.

“You’re from the Obsidian Pact, aren’t you?”

The moment the words left my mouth, their eyes widened.

Shock flashed across their faces.

“And this trail…” I continued, glancing at the fading darkness behind them, “…belongs to your leader, doesn’t it?”

Silence.

Then—

Weapons were drawn.

A shuriken spun between fingers.

A katana slid halfway out of its sheath.

A pistol clicked as its safety was released.

A baseball bat was lifted onto a shoulder.

“…Wow,” I said flatly. “Your choice of weapons is… diverse.”

They really were confident.

Too confident.

Which made me curious.

Why were they so sure they could face me?

Especially when they looked so young.

“Oh?” I tilted my head. “You seem awfully confident about fighting me.”

One of the men clenched his teeth.

They took a step forward—

And then—

They froze.

All five of them stopped moving at the same time.

Their bodies stiffened.

From within their minds, a woman’s voice echoed.

Cold.

Terrifying.

Absolute.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Their faces drained of color.

“Fighting Indigo?”

“Don’t be foolish.”

“Tell him to leave. Return to the base.”

“You are nowhere near ready to face him.”

Sweat broke out across their skin.

Their breathing turned shallow.

Their hands trembled.

I hadn’t released any aura.

I hadn’t used my power.

Yet they were terrified.

“…Huh.”

I raised an eyebrow.

Who were they afraid of?

It was obvious now.

Not me.

Her.

A voice echoed inside my own mind.

Idiot. Stop overthinking it. Someone is clearly controlling them. And that someone just ordered them to retreat.

“…Oh.”

I sighed.

Right.

That made sense.

Then another voice replied inside my head.

For once, you caught on quickly.

“Hey,” I muttered internally, “you don’t get to act smart. You’re literally me.”

Which means my intelligence equals yours.

“…Then why do you sound so smug?”

Because you’re still the dumber one.

“Hey! If I’m dumb, then you’re dumb too!”

Incorrect. You’re the dumb one.

We argued silently inside my head.

Meanwhile, the five members of Obsidian Pact were visibly suffering.

Their faces twisted in pain.

They struggled to breathe.

One of the men finally spoke, his voice shaking.

“P-please forgive us… O Exalted One… W-we will return immediately…”

The pressure vanished.

They inhaled sharply, relief washing over them.

Their gazes shifted toward me.

I was standing there, apparently arguing with myself.

“…Ahem.”

The blue-haired girl cleared her throat nervously.

“L-Lord Indigo… We kindly request that you do not pursue this trail any further. P-Please return… If you’ll excuse us…”

I stopped my internal argument and looked at them.

“…Huh.”

They were… polite.

Surprisingly so.

Without waiting for my response, they vanished—moving swiftly into the shadows.

“…They’re really afraid of Helena,” I muttered.

That was expected.

Most likely, the powers they possessed had been granted to them by Helena herself.

Which meant she could take them away just as easily.

Watching them disappear, I felt a strange sense of relief.

“…I should head back too.”

I exhaled slowly.

“Even if I did catch up to her… there’s no guarantee I could defeat Helena right now.”

In the webtoon, Helena was the final boss.

The ultimate enemy Lightnova would face.

The strongest woman in existence.

The one who reached the absolute pinnacle of power.

Countless villains followed her.

And who would’ve guessed—

The Obsidian Pact was a group she had created herself.

In the original story, Obsidian Pact was described as a cult that worshiped beings of darkness.

But it never once mentioned that Helena was their leader.

That revelation alone had shaken me.

With those thoughts weighing on my mind—

I teleported back home.

*Back to the Down town— Lightnova*

Police vehicles surrounded the area.

Officers were handcuffing the unconscious terrorists Lightnova had taken down earlier.

Now—

She was being swarmed.

Journalists.

Reporters.

Cameras.

Microphones.

Questions flew from every direction.

All the same questions.

All impatient.

All relentless.

In the chaos, a red-haired female journalist was shoved aside.

She lost her balance and fell.

Lightnova noticed immediately.

She rushed over and helped her up.

“Hey—are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine…” the journalist replied, startled.

Lightnova smiled warmly.

Seeing the chance, the journalist spoke quickly.

“M-Miss Lightnova! My name is Seo Jin! I’m a journalist, and I’d like to ask about your greatest enemy—Villain Indigo Reign!”

Lightnova froze.

Her eyes widened.

“I’m sorry,” she said gently. “I can’t answer that here.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card.

Handing it to Seo Jin, she continued:

“Come to the Korean branch of the Hero Association. I’ll be there.”

With that, Lightnova stepped back, waved lightly at the reporters—

And transformed into light.

She shot into the sky and vanished.

Seo Jin stared in awe.

She looked down at the card in her hand.

That night—

Seo Jin arrived at the Hero Association building.

As she approached the entrance, two guards stopped her.

“Halt. State your business.”

“I-I’m Seo Jin… I’m a journalist.”

The guards exchanged glances.

“Journalists are not permitted here.”

“W-wait!” Seo Jin said quickly. “What if I have an appointment with a hero?”

“That’s acceptable—if you have their card.”

Without hesitation, Seo Jin pulled out the card.

The guards read it.

“…Lightnova?”

Their posture changed immediately.

“Please proceed, miss.”

Seo Jin stepped into the building.

Unaware—

That tonight…

She had just stepped into the heart of a story far darker than she ever imagined.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep