Surviving as a Brainwashing Villain in a Hero World

Chapter 21

As the shallow darkness falls and people’s productive activities come to a temporary halt,

The bustling evening street where delicious meals are enjoyed to relieve the fatigue of labor and where entertainment is sought.

This place, which should have been filled with laughter and lively noises,

Was once again caught with movements threatening to endanger citizens today.

“Graaaaaaaah!!!”

A giant man, several times the size of an ordinary person.

The man, wearing nothing but a white shirt and leather pants without any particular weapon,

Suddenly appeared on the bustling street and started attacking people.

“Aaaaaah!! It’s a monster!!”

“What’s happening!! Aaaah!!”

A form closer to a monster than a human, with superhuman strength emanating from it.

And a deafening roar as if to showcase that strength.

“Grrr… Grrrrr… Graaaaaah!!!!”

– Craaaash!!!!

– Squeeeak… Boooom…!

From bars and meat shops where people gather in small groups,

To stores displaying and selling various luxury goods, all are indiscriminately destroyed by the giant villain.

His grotesque and bulky muscles are strong enough to collapse the outer wall of a four-story building.

“That’s enough! Stop the destruction!”

Only three minutes later he appeared on the street and started demolishing buildings.

At the brink of fully destroying one four-story building and seeking his next target.

A voice full of clarity and immense confidence.

With her orange hair fluttering, A-grade hero Ignition boldly shouted in front of the villain.

“Grrrrr… Grrr… Graaaah!!!”

“Huh?! This guy… doesn’t listen to people!”

The villain, more like a beast than a human, only growled in response,

With no sign of responding to her call.

“Then! We’ll have to use methods suitable for a beast, won’t we?”

“Grrr…”

– Whooosh—

Wrapping flames around her legs and exploding them,

Using the propulsion to leap high.

“Hyaaaaaaah!!”

She stretches out both legs towards the villain,

Causing a massive explosion from the palms of her hands, striking down directly.

– Craaaash!!!

“Grrrrr… Graaaaah!!!!”

The villain, in pain from Ignition’s drop kick to his right shoulder.

However, despite the ground-shaking explosion from the attack,

He was only slightly injured.

‘Is it tough to take him down with direct hits…?’

Although a significant amount of blood spurted from the small wound,

It wasn’t a fatal blow to bring down the villain.

Ignition, watching the villain writhing in pain like an enraged bull,

Thought of another strategy to defeat him.

‘There’s something strange about his body… Could it be…?’

She noticed several odd things about the villain’s appearance.

Numerous surgical scars and needle marks on the villain’s skin.

And the blood flowing from the wound was closer to purple than red.

This reminded her of a major social issue that had been emerging for about a decade.

“Grrrrr… Graaaah…”

Using illegally created special drugs or mechanical devices,

To abnormally enlarge muscles and bones, turning people into monsters.

Some organizations with vast capital and technology had through numerous experiments,

Created ‘monsters’ with immense destructive power from a single individual.

While the destructive power of these monsters wasn’t beyond what heroes could handle,

The problem was they were becoming stronger day by day.

Moreover, these monsters could be minions of those organizations,

Or innocent citizens turned into experimental subjects.

Meaning the villain standing before Ignition could be an innocent victim.

“Grrrrr…! Uaaaaah…!”

As purple blood flowed profusely from the villain’s shoulder, the wound widened,

And a purple puddle formed on the street, spreading a foul stench.

Fortunately, most citizens had evacuated to a safe distance,

But Ignition sensed something unusual.

Contrary to the calming behavior of the agitated villain,

His body was slowly swelling despite losing a lot of blood.

‘No… could it be!’

And just as Ignition realized this and tried to react.

– Booooom—

The villain, who seemed unstable, suddenly exploded with a loud noise.

“Uuuuuugh!!!”

The shockwave from the explosion spread out, reaching even Ignition who was standing at a distance,

After the explosion, only a purple puddle and the debris of destroyed buildings remained.

‘It’s confirmed. This is the self-destructing monster type that has started appearing recently.’

True to the name self-destructing monster, it had obliterated all surrounding buildings and structures,

Leaving nothing behind but thick smoke filling the spot where it once was.

Thanks to no civilian casualties, Ignition breathed a sigh of relief, but one uncomfortable thought lingered.

The possibility that the monster might have been an ordinary citizen.

Yoon Do-hwa had already become a loyal henchman to the villain Dominator,

And her current hero activities were maintained under his orders.

However, a sense of justice as a hero still remained in her heart.

Although her identity as a brainwashed slave and spy villain had taken hold due to perception alteration,

The lingering sense of justice she couldn’t completely erase made her uncomfortable.

‘Right. This is… just a job. It’s just part of the mission commanded by Dominator.’

She told herself this was merely part of carrying out orders.

In the past, she would have been tormented by pity and guilt while fighting, but now she turned away from that self.

[ Hero Ignition. Subjugation of villain in downtown S City completed. ]

[ Situation concluded with the self-destruction of villain suspected to be an explosive type. ]

[ Requesting swift follow-up support. ]

***

“Ughhh…! I’m tired.”

“Do-hwa sister! Are you back from finishing up?”

Do-hwa stretched tiredly as she returned to the hideout.

Ji-woo was humming while sweeping away dust inside the hideout.

“You’re back?”

“Master!”

Si-yoon, sitting on the sofa looking at his phone, greeted her as well.

“You look tired. Was it busy today?”

“Yes… With the recent increase in monster appearances, it’s been a bit…”

“Mon…ster?”

It seemed like Si-yoon was hearing the term ‘monster’ for the first time.

“They’re a kind of experiment made by some villain organizations using illegal drugs or devices.

The problem is… the subjects of these experiments could be innocent civilians.”

“Hmm. If we had the technology or facilities, they might be quite useful.

But for us, that’s still a distant story, isn’t it?”

Ignoring the fact that innocent civilians could be harmed,

Si-yoon was only considering the efficiency of using monsters.

Such a mindset was natural for a thorough villain, but

Do-hwa couldn’t hide her dismay at his attitude.

“It’s horrifying. The monster I defeated… could have been a citizen.”

“Performing experiments on innocent civilians… The risk is too high.”

The dismay she felt hours ago.

She was just acting as a spy for the villain organization as a hero,

Yet somehow, the righteous duty to protect citizens shook her thoughts.

‘How… can I think like that…?’

Do-hwa inadvertently felt disappointment and doubt towards her master.

The righteous heart of a hero deeply rooted in Do-hwa’s psyche clashed with

The lewd spy identity imposed by the perception alteration.

‘Who… am I…? I am…’

“Did something happen, sister? You don’t look good…”

“Yeah, are you hurt somewhere?”

Ji-woo and Si-yoon worried about the troubled Do-hwa.

“No! I’m just… a bit tired. Would it be okay if I go rest first?”

“Well… sure.”

Do-hwa forced a smile at them, then went into the room with the big bed to lie down for a while.

“Do you think something really happened to Do-hwa sister, Master?”

“Hmm…”

Si-yoon could faintly discern from Do-hwa’s expression.

That expression wasn’t from physical fatigue or pain,

But from psychological unease and confusion.

‘Could the command be lifted for another reason, or could the branding be erased…?’

Certainly, the commands he placed on those branded were absolute.

Moreover, the subjects of his perception alteration were not ordinary people,

But two A-grade heroes from the Hero Union, considered upper echelons of power.

[ Status: Branding Phase 2 (Infiltration Degree 100%) ]

According to the display Si-yoon was looking at,

The branding on Do-hwa was definitely not erased.

In fact, her branding infiltration degree was at 100%.

A situation where it should have evolved to the next stage by now.

‘Could there be conditions for the branding to evolve to the next stage…?’

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