“Begone, human.”
“I can’t……”
A mysterious lion villain had appeared out of nowhere and turned the great bridge into hell in an instant.
Before that overwhelming sense of helplessness, Nova trembled all over in terror.
The predatory aura pouring from the beast’s eyes seemed to go beyond a mere physical threat, crushing her very soul.
Even so, she did not back down.
The S-rank hero Flare, whom she had believed to stand above the heavens, had been defeated. The heroes stronger than Nova or with longer careers than her, and even Spark, the senior she usually relied on, had all fled long ago.
She did not want to blame them. That monster was not an existence that could be opposed by human common sense.
So even if she ran away as well, even if she failed her mission, there would be no one to criticize her.
Rather, fleeing in the face of death was closer to the instinct of a living creature.
And yet Nova put strength into her trembling legs and stubbornly held her ground.
“Hah. Shaking like that, and you still intend to protect the OOPArt? To the point of risking your life for a mere lump of metal?”
“OOPArt or whatever, that kind of thing…… doesn’t matter.”
Right now, the object she was escorting was not even in Nova’s mind.
Whatever was inside the metal container, whatever its value was, it was lighter than dust compared to what she had to protect at this very moment.
There was only one thing that mattered to her.
“Ugh…… It, it hurts……”
“Save me……”
“Haa…… Haa……”
The safety of the injured people sprawled across the ground from the bombardment moments ago.
Thankfully, it seemed no one had died instantly, but the only person who could protect those whose legs had been crushed or who had been pierced by fragments and could not move was Nova.
If even she turned away, it was obvious that the merciless lion’s claws would trample those pitiful lives.
“There’s no way a hero could run away and leave behind the people she’s supposed to protect……!”
“Kuh, kuhk! Kuhahaha! You? Protect those things?”
As if finding it absurd, the lion let out a grating laugh like metal being scraped.
Its massive mechanical mane vibrated faintly, emitting an eerie metallic sound.
The lion wore an expression of savoring the cruel pleasure before tormenting its prey.
“Then let’s see you protect them. Let’s see how long that flimsy conviction of yours can last.”
Immediately after, the lion thrust out a foreleg.
A gigantic fist larger than her face tore through the air and shot forward in an instant, and Nova dodged almost by instinct, twisting her head away.
But because it was an attack powerful enough to send an S-rank hero flying with a single blow, even though it did not touch her directly, the wind pressure generated by that simple thrust swept over her entire body like blades.
“Krgh!”
It had not even grazed her, yet the shock rattled her organs.
What unreasonable power was this?
Losing her balance for an instant, Nova hurried to correct her stance, but it was already too late.
“Ah……”
When she faced the huge fist flying toward her again, Nova realized she could not dodge and reflexively crossed both arms to raise her guard.
Dodging the first attack had been close to a miracle in the first place, so it seemed she could not hope for such luck twice.
Kwaaaang──!
A roar that could not possibly be thought of as something striking a human body exploded.
Just as Flare had been sent flying, Nova’s body lifted into the air.
The impact burrowed down to her bones, and her consciousness flashed white.
The only difference between them was that she did not fall off the bridge, but slammed straight into the freight container behind her and did not go far.
“Keheuk……!”
It had been a single blow.
Her two arms, which she had raised to guard, seemed to be broken; she could not feel them at all, and her entire body was as heavy as lead and would not move.
Perhaps somewhere on her head had been torn open, because hot liquid ran down and dyed her vision red.
No, even before that, the world was spinning and her sight itself was blurry.
Her condition was far, incomparably more serious than when she had been beaten by that villain in the wrestler outfit last time.
Kuuung──. Kuuung──.
The lion slowly approached.
The unpleasant sound of metal scraping asphalt reached her ears like the footsteps of a grim reaper.
She instinctively knew that death was right before her.
“I have to… protect, the people……”
As Nova groaned the words, coughing up the blood pooled in her mouth, the lion opened its mouth in mockery, as if it found it laughable that she was still worrying about others in such a state.
“But what to do? There are no humans here for you to protect.”
“……What?”
Nova barely moved her trembling eyes and looked around.
It was a bewildering sight.
The people who had been sprawled on the ground crying out in pain just moments ago were nowhere to be seen.
As if they had never existed from the start, they seemed to have evaporated, leaving only screams and the smell of blood behind.
Fear rushed over her as she wondered if the villain had done something, but the lion’s next words were even crueler.
“The very ones you thought you were protecting abandoned you and left. What a truly pitiful and foolish hero.”
At the lion’s words, Nova was dazed for a moment, but soon a strange relief filled her chest.
She felt no resentment or sense of betrayal.
‘……Everyone escaped safely. Thank goodness.’
There had definitely been people whose legs were crushed, so common sense could not explain how they had escaped without a trace in such a short moment.
But with too much blood lost for her head to work properly, the mere fact that no one besides her had died was enough.
‘Hehe… Jina unni. I… still protected them to the end……’
As if laughing at Spark’s words that there was nothing B-ranks like them could do, Nova faintly lifted the corners of her mouth on her blood-soaked face.
The pride of having held her ground to the end on a battlefield where even an S-rank hero had been defeated.
Though her body was battered and broken to the point she could not move a single finger, at this moment, she could proudly say she had been more like a hero than anyone.
“What a strange one. You are smiling when you are all but dead. Have you gone mad?”
Unable to understand Nova’s appearance at all, the lion sneered.
Before she knew it, the lion’s enormous shadow had drawn close enough to loom right over her, as if it would swallow her whole.
She had prepared herself for death, but now that her life was about to be snuffed out, all kinds of thoughts surged over her like waves.
Why am I so weak? I wanted to become strong too. I wanted to get stronger and save more people, and cure Haeun’s illness completely.
‘Ah, come to think of it, what will happen to Haeun if I die?’
Still, she had heard that if a hero died in the line of duty during a mission, a large condolence payment would be given to their family.
If that happened, at least Haeun would not be kicked out of the hospital right away. But would Haeun be able to endure alone in this harsh world?
I’m sorry, Haeun. I promised that when you got better, we’d go to the aquarium together. Looks like your useless big sister won’t be able to keep that promise. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry……
‘I don’t want to die……’
The lion raised its heavy foreleg high.
Nova wheezed, breathing with difficulty, but did not avert her eyes from the lion until the very end.
‘I want to live……! I want to have stronger power……!’
That was the moment her desperate longing for life reached its peak.
Hwaaaaaak──!
Behind her, from the gap in the half-crumpled container, a light so intense it could blind poured out.
“──?!”
At the sudden turn of events, the lion stopped its attack and retreated.
The light pouring from the cold, solid pile of metal writhed like a living creature and enveloped Nova.
A pillar of sacred light surged up on the cold great bridge.
There was no time to wonder what was happening.
Inside Nova’s mind—no, from deep within her soul—a dry, mechanical voice rang out.
『──Do you need power?』
It was not a simple auditory hallucination.
Rather than a question, it was closer to a kind of procedure.
Holding on to her fading consciousness, Nova answered instinctively.
“I want it. Power that won’t lose to villains, power that can protect everyone.”
Then the voice changed its tone in a strange way and began to grumble.
『……Haa. Honestly, as a compatible candidate, you’re kind of—no, very lacking. Well, still, at least that look in your eyes gets a passing mark.』
“……Pardon? What did you just……”
When Nova asked back blankly, unable to understand, the voice cut her off as if it found it bothersome.
『Nothing. Stop talking and just accept it. With this, synchronization with you is complete!』
[Compatible candidate confirmed. Core Relic-Stella activation protocol initiated.]
With that declaration, the OOPArt stored inside the container—the Core Relic—began to respond, vibrating violently.
Shuuuuuuung──!
A dazzling vortex of light wrapped around the entire bridge.
Nova’s scream was buried in the light as electrifying energy coursed through her whole body.
With a crunching sound, the bones of her broken arms mended perfectly, and her torn wounds closed without a trace.
The pain that had been squeezing her heart vanished, and her blurred vision became unbelievably clear.
It felt as if every single cell in her body was being reborn.
Bewildered by the unfamiliar yet powerful sensation she felt throughout her body, Nova looked down at her hands.
“……My body?”
While Nova was confused by the sudden change, the lion, which had retreated some distance away to watch, shook its mechanical mane and burst into loud laughter.
“Kuhahahaha! How surprising! To think a weak little human like you would be chosen by the Core Relic!”
“Core Relic……?”
At the unfamiliar words that came from the lion’s mouth, Nova blankly repeated the name.
Come to think of it, the voice she had heard just moments ago had also said Core Relic. Could that have been the true name of the OOPArt stored in the container?
But her time to leisurely sink into thought lasted only a moment.
──Grrrrr.
The lion bared its teeth and let out a low growl.
The mocking air from moments ago had vanished, and its fighting spirit was blazing.
Its gigantic mechanical forepaw scraped against the asphalt, sending up sparks.
“Let this body personally test just how strong the Core Relic has made you! I do hope you won’t disappoint me!”