Chapter 59: Echoes in the Dark

Seo Jin looked around her in awe.

The Hero Association building was massive from the outside, but even more overwhelming on the inside. The lobby was wide and filled with people—employees in formal uniforms, heroes in various outfits, some wounded, some laughing, some discussing missions. Screens floated on the walls, displaying rankings, emergency alerts, and mission statistics.

“So this is the Hero Association…” Seo Jin muttered softly.

“Woah… this is incredible…”

She walked slowly toward the front desk area where several clerks were serving citizens—some filing complaints, some requesting protection, others submitting reports. Seo Jin hesitated for a moment, then took a number and stood quietly in line.

After a few minutes, it was finally her turn.

A female clerk looked up and smiled politely.

“Yes, miss. How can I help you today?”

Seo Jin swallowed nervously.

“I… I want to meet someone.”

The clerk tilted her head slightly.

“May I ask who?”

Seo Jin slowly pulled out the business card Lightnova had given her and placed it on the counter.

The moment the clerk saw the name, her eyes widened.

“…Lightnova?”

She immediately grabbed the phone beside her and made a call.

After a brief conversation, the clerk hung up and looked back at Seo Jin with a completely different expression—more respectful, even slightly tense.

“Uhm… Miss Seo Jin, right? Please follow me. I’ll take you to Miss Lightnova’s office.”

Seo Jin nodded quickly.

“T-thank you…”

The clerk stood up and gestured for Seo Jin to follow. They walked through several corridors, passing security checkpoints, glass elevators, and long hallways filled with heroes and staff. The deeper they went, the quieter it became.

Finally, they stopped in front of a large door with a silver nameplate.

[Lightnova – SSS Rank Hero]

The clerk knocked.

Inside Lightnova’s office, Ji-hye was sitting behind her desk.

She was wearing a formal office outfit instead of her hero suit. Her elbow rested on the table, her head supported by her right hand, while her left fingers tapped the desk rhythmically.

Her mind was elsewhere.

“Indigo…” she murmured.

“What does that journalist want to know about Indigo?”

After a few seconds, a voice came from outside.

“Miss Lightnova, your guest has arrived.”

“Bring her in.”

The door opened.

Seo Jin entered slowly, clearly nervous. She looked around the office—clean, minimalistic, but with a large window showing the city skyline. Ji-hye looked up and studied her calmly.

“Please, have a seat,” Ji-hye said.

Seo Jin sat down in the chair across from her, clasping her hands together.

Ji-hye leaned back slightly.

“So… go ahead. Ask me what you want to know about Indigo. And tell me everything you already know.”

Seo Jin swallowed.

She cleared her throat.

“Ahem…”

“Well… Miss Lightnova… in your opinion, what kind of relationship do you and Indigo have right now?”

Ji-hye froze for a second.

Seo Jin continued, gathering courage.

“Lately, the media has been saying that you and him have a rather… strange relationship. From what I’ve observed, Indigo has saved you several times. And even earlier today, it looked like Indigo was—”

Before Seo Jin could finish, Ji-hye slammed her hand on the desk.

The loud sound echoed through the room.

Seo Jin flinched.

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Ji-hye said firmly.

“Indigo and I are not that close. Sometimes we become temporary allies when facing enemies stronger than both of us. That’s all.”

Seo Jin went silent, listening carefully.

When she thought about it, it did make sense. A hero and a villain having a personal relationship was unrealistic… or at least, that’s what Seo Jin wanted to believe.

“I see… I understand,” Seo Jin said softly.

Ji-hye watched her for a moment, then spoke again.

“Then let me ask you something.”

Seo Jin’s eyes widened slightly.

“M-me? What do you want to ask?”

Her voice trembled. Being questioned by an SSS-rank hero was not something she had ever imagined.

“I heard you’re a reckless journalist,” Ji-hye said calmly.

“They say you’ve investigated villains from dangerously close distances. Have you ever investigated a villain named Barcher?”

Seo Jin froze.

Her expression changed instantly.

“…Yes,” she answered quietly.

“I have.”

“Then give me everything you know about him.”

Seo Jin swallowed hard before speaking.

“Barcher is an S-rank villain with telekinesis. Ten years ago, he attacked Seoul International Airport.”

The moment she said those words, Ji-hye’s teeth clenched.

Her fingers dug into the edge of the desk.

Ten years ago.

The same incident.

The day she lost her older brother—Kim Min-hoo.

“Are… are you okay, Miss Lightnova?” Seo Jin asked carefully, noticing Ji-hye’s reaction.

Ji-hye closed her eyes for a second.

“I’m fine,” she said, forcing herself to breathe.

“Continue.”

Seo Jin nodded.

“Ahem… from my investigation, Barcher isn’t just a normal villain. He has a disturbing habit of abducting children. He tortures them, abuses them, and laughs while they scream in pain.”

Crack.

Ji-hye punched the desk.

The surface shattered, splitting into deep fractures.

Seo Jin gasped.

She had seen heroes lose their temper before, but this felt different. The air itself felt heavy. It was clear—Lightnova had a personal grudge against this villain.

“I’m sorry…” Ji-hye muttered, pulling her hand back.

“Continue.”

Seo Jin hesitated, then spoke again.

“There was something strange when I was investigating Barcher. I followed him to an abandoned building. He was… training. Exercising. And that’s when I saw Indigo.”

Ji-hye’s eyes widened.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Indigo?

Her mind immediately jumped to the worst conclusion.

“Was Indigo allied with him?” Ji-hye asked sharply.

Seo Jin raised her hands quickly.

“Please don’t jump to conclusions. I’m not finished.”

Ji-hye leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms.

“Go on.”

“Indigo didn’t come to cooperate with Barcher,” Seo Jin said.

“He came to fight him.”

Ji-hye stared at her.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes. I even took photos.”

Seo Jin reached into her bag and pulled out several printed pictures, placing them on the table.

Ji-hye picked them up one by one.

The images clearly showed Indigo and Barcher in combat—dark blue energy clashing with invisible telekinetic force. The surrounding building was half destroyed.

Ji-hye frowned.

Why would Indigo fight Barcher?

Why not recruit him?

“Then… who won?” Ji-hye asked quietly.

Seo Jin hesitated.

“…Indigo.”

Ji-hye’s eyes widened again.

’Barcher required three S-rank heroes to be defeated… and Indigo killed him alone?’

“What did Indigo do after he won?”

Seo Jin’s voice lowered.

“He killed him. Indigo formed his right hand like a gun. From his fingertip, a dark blue light shot out… and Barcher’s head was completely destroyed.”

Ji-hye’s mind flashed back.

Teros.

The same method.

The same execution.

Seo Jin continued.

“I almost got caught. Indigo’s instincts are terrifying. It felt like he could hear my heartbeat. If I had breathed even slightly louder… I might have died that day.”

Ji-hye looked down at the photos again.

“So Indigo kills villains,” she whispered.

“Even other villains.”

Her mind became a mess of contradictions.

Indigo was a criminal. A mass murderer. A villain feared worldwide.

And yet…

He killed child abusers.

He killed sadists.

He killed monsters even heroes struggled to defeat.

’What exactly are you trying to become, Indigo…?’

Meanwhile, far away.

On the rooftop of a dark building.

Indigo stood alone, looking at the city lights.

The wind blew gently, his long coat fluttering behind him.

“So… Lightnova is investigating me now,” he muttered with a faint smile.

Inside his mind, another voice spoke.

“You expected this.”

“Yeah. I did.”

He looked at his hand.

The same hand that had killed Barcher.

“That bastard deserved worse.”

The voice responded calmly.

“You’re not a hero.”

Indigo chuckled.

“I know. I’m worse than a hero.”

The city below continued to shine, unaware that both its greatest protector and its most dangerous villain were slowly moving toward the same truth.

And when they finally collided…

The world would never be the same again.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep