Chapter 83: The Pact of Shadows

The villains watched us in absolute silence as our hands collided.

The moment our fists met, a violent shockwave exploded outward.

A deafening boom echoed through the hall.

A powerful gust of wind erupted from the point of impact, forcing Alea and several nearby villains to stumble backward. Some of them barely managed to keep their footing, while others were pushed several meters away.

The purple crystals embedded in the walls flickered violently.

Boris stared at me, a wide grin stretching across his face.

Alea, on the other hand, looked utterly frozen.

Her eyes trembled, her lips parted slightly, as if her mind could no longer process what was happening.

This… was truly extraordinary.

I shifted my stance and drove my foot forward.

With a sharp motion, I kicked Boris square in the torso.

He crossed his arms just in time to block it.

The impact echoed like thunder.

Despite blocking the attack, his massive body was sent sliding backward across the floor, leaving deep cracks in the stone beneath his boots.

The surrounding villains gasped.

Their eyes widened in disbelief.

Their revered leader—

The man they worshiped as an absolute monster—

Had been pushed back by my kick.

Yet Boris’s expression didn’t show anger.

No.

He looked thrilled.

“Hah…” he exhaled, rolling his shoulders.

“I honestly didn’t want my identity to be exposed like this… but it seems I can’t fool your eyes.”

Blue light gathered around my body.

From within that glow, a familiar object emerged.

A black mask.

The mask I had worn countless times before.

The mask known across the underground world.

I lifted it and placed it over my face.

The instant it settled into place, my casual clothes were engulfed by blue flames.

Fire danced around my body—not destructive, but controlled.

In a blink, my appearance changed completely.

A black suit.

A long black cloak.

A black fedora resting atop my head.

The true form of Indigo stood before them.

Every villain stared at me as if they had just witnessed a myth come to life.

Murmurs spread throughout the hall.

“That’s him…”

“Indigo…”

“The real one…”

Boris burst into laughter.

Loud.

Genuine.

Filled with excitement.

“Me? Fooled?” he said between laughs.

“Isn’t that impossible? Besides—”

He clenched his fist.

“I’m impressed. You stopped my punch… and even pushed me back.”

I remained silent for a moment.

To be honest, there was nothing surprising about that.

I had already restrained the physical power of someone ten times stronger than him before.

Blocking his attack had been nothing more than a warm-up.

“Thank you for the compliment,” I replied calmly.

But the moment those words left my mouth—

Boris lunged again.

No warning.

No hesitation.

He truly wanted to fight me.

His fists came flying toward me in rapid succession.

From the perspective of others, it must have looked like thousands of punches were raining down at once.

A storm of blows.

But to my eyes—

Everything was clear.

Predictable.

I stepped aside.

Twisted my body.

Dodged each strike by the smallest margin.

“Oh! You can dodge them too?” Boris shouted, laughing wildly as he continued his assault.

I kept evading.

Left.

Right.

Down.

Back.

Then—

His final punch.

I felt it immediately.

An enormous amount of energy condensed into his fist.

If that hit me head-on, it would cause serious damage.

Not fatal—but troublesome.

I didn’t need to take that risk.

The instant his fist was about to connect with my face—

I vanished.

Teleportation.

I reappeared behind him.

His punch struck the empty air.

A massive wave of energy erupted forward, slamming into the far wall.

The entire chamber shook violently.

Cracks spread like spiderwebs across the floor.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

For a moment, silence fell.

“Hah…” Boris exhaled slowly.

“You really are the one who killed Yaroslav…”

His voice carried irritation.

But also something else.

Resignation.

He turned around and looked at me.

This time, there was no desire to fight left in his eyes.

It seemed he had finally accepted the difference between us.

Good.

That meant I wouldn’t have to use my full power.

That was a relief.

“You’re praising me too much, comparing me to someone like Yaroslav,” I said lightly, almost joking.

A While Later

We were now in a far more relaxed room.

It looked like a luxurious living room rather than part of a villain headquarters.

Soft lighting.

Comfortable sofas.

A polished table in the center.

I sat on one sofa.

Boris sat across from me.

Behind him, Alea stood rigidly, her body trembling.

Cold sweat ran down her face.

’I never imagined the man I looked down on… was Indigo himself…

I regret everything… After this… I want to apologize to him…’

Her thoughts were written all over her face.

“So…” I said casually.

“What made you want to meet me so badly?”

Boris lifted a cup of coffee, took a slow sip, then placed it back on the table.

“I want to work with you.”

As expected.

“As you can see,” he continued,

“My control over Russia is almost complete. There’s only a small portion left.”

He leaned back slightly.

“What I need is someone who can uncover the weaknesses of government officials. Once we expose their corruption to the public, the people will trust us even more.”

“…You mean hacking their databases?” I asked.

“Yes. More or less.”

I smiled behind my mask.

This is a perfect opportunity.

If I do this, I can bring HIVE into my Darkest Alliance.

“I can do that,” I said.

“But it won’t be free.”

Boris smiled confidently.

“Of course. I’ll pay you well. I have more than enough money—”

“I don’t want money.”

His eyes widened.

“…Then what do you want?”

I exhaled slowly before answering.

“I want you to join my alliance.”

“Alliance?” Boris repeated.

“Darkest Alliance? This is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“Of course it is,” I replied.

“It’s new. And it only has a few members.”

“A few?”

“Who are they?”

“Myself… and Jade.”

Boris’s expression changed.

“Jade?”

“Who is that?”

“She’s an S-rank hero from America,” I explained.

“She joined me because she wants to rebel against the International Hero Associations.”

Boris rested his hand on his chin, thinking.

“Hm…”

“That’s not a bad offer.”

He looked directly at me.

“You didn’t create this alliance without careful planning, did you?”

Heh… as expected of Boris.

“Of course not,” I said calmly.

“I created it so that if one member is ever in trouble, the others will act to help them.”

“…I see.”

Boris extended his hand toward me.

A handshake.

“Hm?” I said.

“Does this mean you agree?”

“Hehehe,” Boris laughed.

“Why wouldn’t I? Working with someone who killed Yaroslav is the best deal I could ask for!”

I shook his hand.

“Then it’s settled,” I said.

“I’ll help you completely take over Russia.”

A Few Minutes Later

I had removed my mask.

We were sitting together, drinking coffee.

After taking a sip, I spoke again.

“By the way… I have a question for you.”

Boris smiled.

“Of course. Ask anything you want.”

“You seem very fluent in Korean. Did you study it?”

“Yes,” he replied casually.

“I started learning it after I found out you were Korean.”

I smiled faintly.

Then I glanced toward Alea, who was still standing behind Boris’s sofa, trembling.

“By the way…” I said lightly.

“Yesterday, when I was about to enjoy the sweet coffee I bought, someone ruined that moment.”

Boris turned his head.

His gaze landed on Alea.

“…Could you give that person a small lesson later?”

Alea froze.

Her entire body stiffened.

Boris burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! So you’re upset because Alea interrupted your peaceful coffee time?”

He nodded enthusiastically.

“Very well. I’ll teach her a proper lesson later.”

Alea’s face turned pale.

She trembled even harder.

“Y-Your Excellency… p-please forgive me—”

Before she could finish—

Boris shot her a killing glare.

She immediately fell silent.

I took another sip of my coffee.

…Looks like I just got someone punished.

I smiled quietly.

And enjoyed the taste.

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