Surviving as a Brainwashing Villain in a Hero World

Chapter 6

In the middle of a major street cutting through the center of S City.

“Kyahhhhh!!!”

“It’s a villain!!! Aaaahhh!!!”

There was a man blocking the path of people returning home after a busy day.

He had an unkempt beard and hair that seemed untouched for years.

A gas mask resembling a fly concealed his face hidden beneath the hair.

And behind it was a sinister smile, as if he was about to commit something dreadful.

“Kuhuhu… I want you all to feel what it means to suffocate. Kekeke….”

The man swung a hose connected to a large tank strapped to his back with a hunched posture.

From the hose, an unidentified gas spewed out, covering the people indiscriminately.

The citizens, in response to the sudden appearance of the villain, either ran away while covering their noses and mouths,

or closed their car windows, waiting quietly for a hero to arrive.

“Kehek!! Khaaak! Can’t… breathe…!”

However, those who couldn’t react to the sudden situation complained of dizziness,

and those directly exposed to the gas foamed at the mouth and fainted.

The man possessed a superpower that allowed toxic gas to seep out from all over his body.

The villain ‘Green Mist’ was gathering that gas and quietly launching a gas attack in the middle of the city.

“Stop right there! Villain ‘Green Mist’!”

In front of him, who seemed to spread the curse bestowed upon him to others, appeared a hero.

With hair and eyes that seemed to burn like flames, just as her hero name suggested.

The A-rank hero ‘Ignition’ appeared before Green Mist and stopped him.

“A hero! A hero is here!”

“Everyone! Move away to a safe distance! It’s dangerous!”

Ignition guided the citizens to an area free from the gas before approaching the scene.

“Tch… A hero? Kekeke… You look like a rookie.”

Most solo-acting villains operate alone.

And such villains usually run away or get scared when a hero appears.

But Green Mist didn’t flinch at the sight of Ignition.

“I’ll make sure you don’t harm anyone else!”

“Kekeke… Do you really think you can?”

Contrary to Ignition’s bold declaration of punishment, she had a somewhat uneasy expression.

Green Mist noticed that anxiety.

Green Mist was a veteran villain who had been repeatedly captured and escaped for over ten years.

He had witnessed countless citizens’ screams and heroes’ despair.

He possessed an ability that could be considered above expert level in analyzing the expressions and words of the heroes who faced him.

“Will you only shut that mouth of yours after burning up?”

“Kuhuhu… I can see it all. That uneasy look on your face.”

Ignition flinched for a moment as if struck to the core by Green Mist’s words.

Even though she knew it wasn’t her usual confident expression.

The incident the previous day where she had been helplessly defeated near the university by Soldier No. 505.

The experience of not being able to use her abilities, movements, or even words as she wished.

For her, who had never hesitated in her hero activities, it was a huge shock.

And before she could even recover from that shock, another villain had analyzed her state.

But Ignition had to pull herself together.

She was a hero who protected the city.

She couldn’t be held captive by a weak mind.

Ignition bit her tongue as if punching herself for that momentary anxiety.

“Huaaaaat!!!!!”

– Shuaaaaaaa –

A stream of flames flew toward Green Mist, who was snickering at Ignition’s expression.

Green Mist jumped swiftly, barely avoiding the flame stream.

“Phew. What a dangerous superpower.”

“You shouldn’t be relieved just because you dodged one stream, should you?”

The flame stream that passed between his legs split open behind him,

shooting up into the sky and then falling like raindrops, covering Green Mist’s back.

“Graaaaah!!!”

“What about my expression? Take care of your own!”

Thanks to the gas tank on his back, he didn’t take significant damage,

but the flames clinging to his clothes and long hair were enough to cause him pain.

“Kuhh… Aaaaahhh!!!”

– Chiiiiiiiiiik -!!!

In his pain, Green Mist extended the hose toward Ignition, spraying gas.

– Vwoooom –

“Huah!”

Ignition leaped high into the air with the propulsion of flames the moment she saw the direction of the moving hose.

In an instant, she soared to a height equivalent to at least three stories.

“Wha… What?!”

“Take thiiiiiis!!!”

Ignition, with flames wrapped around her feet, delivered a kick from above Green Mist’s bewildered head.

– Kwoooong-!!!

Green Mist couldn’t react to the swift flame kick.

Engulfed in flames, the kick struck directly against his back and head from a height well over ten meters.

“Ugh… Urgh…”

The gas in the broken tank leaked out with a powerless hiss.

If he couldn’t compress and spray a large amount of gas, it wouldn’t have any significant effect.

Even if the gas in the tank leaked out, it would quickly dissipate into the air and disappear.

“Da… damn…”

The gas mask shattered, revealing Green Mist’s hideous face.

His face was stained with sweat and grime, with blood flowing down, making for a grotesque sight.

“You. What did you say about my expression earlier? That you could see everything?”

“Urgh… How… How could I be defeated…!”

His dangerous ability to emit toxic gas and his experience as a villain didn’t help much.

No matter how much he tried to provoke and unsettle Ignition,

It was still difficult for Green Mist to overpower Ignition with his combat abilities alone.

Ignition’s weapon was a simple yet infinitely versatile superpower: *Ignition*.

She not only emitted flames but also had power and speed through flame propulsion.

Although he had a lot of experience as a villain over the years,

The fact that he had been captured and escaped multiple times only proved that he was a ‘villain who could be subdued.’

“The… the hero won!!!”

“Thank you!! Thank you, Hero!!!”

“Yaaaay!!!”

Standing confidently before the fallen villain clutching his head was the splendid A-rank hero, Ignition.

All those saved by her showered her with praise and cheers.

“That expression… It seems like it’ll break someday….”

***

After defeating the villain Green Mist, that night.

‘Ignition,’ Yoon Do-hwa, was waiting in front of Seongnam University for Yeon Jiwoo to arrive.

“Why isn’t Jiwoo here yet… It’s almost time….”

The time Soldier No. 505 had mentioned was 10 p.m.

The time displayed on her phone was 9:48 p.m.

If Jiwoo didn’t arrive at the meeting place soon,

Do-hwa would end up going to the hotel mentioned by Soldier No. 505, without understanding why.

– Ding –

[ Jiwoo: I got an unexpected call from a distant location, so I might be a little late. ]

[ I think I can make it by 10:20. (9:50 p.m.) ]

“Huh? What? Late… Late?”

[ Do-hwa: You can’t do that! We had an appointment! ]

[ Jiwoo: Why? You were late yesterday too. I’ll be there soon, so just wait. ]

“Seriously… Why aren’t you ever helpful when I really need you…! Ah!”

As if the time it would take to reach the hotel had been calculated precisely,

the moment she hurriedly tried to call Jiwoo, her body began to move.

“Plea… please… I need to stop…!”

Startled by the sudden movement, Do-hwa stumbled and fell.

But her body quickly got up and started walking rapidly towards the hotel.

And soon, she saw Soldier No. 505 standing in front of the hotel.

‘No… No… Jiwoo…! Please… Help me!’

She was terrified.

In front of other villains, she was the confident and magnificent hero, Ignition.

But for some reason, whenever she stood before Soldier No. 505, she couldn’t do anything.

Do-hwa recalled the words Green Mist had said a few hours earlier.

He had mentioned seeing her uneasy expression.

But the expression she wore now was somewhat different from before.

Her face was flushed red with excitement, her breathing was ragged.

And her lips, glistening with saliva, and her somewhat unfocused eyes.

The expression that should have been filled with anxiety had changed into something else in front of Soldier No. 505.

“Oh! You’re right on time today too. Well done.”

Soldier No. 505 smiled and showed a gentle attitude, unlike his aggressive behavior from the previous day.

As if nothing had happened the day before.

“Haha! You seem to be looking forward to this quite a bit?”

“I… it’s not like that.”

Soldier No. 505 smiled at Do-hwa’s disheveled expression.

She bit her lip hard, trying to fix her distorted expression.

“Let’s go up. I’ve already checked in.”

Do-hwa wanted to shake off Soldier No. 505’s hand, which was leading her, and run away.

She wanted to shout for help from the hotel lobby staff right then and there.

But she could only obediently follow him.

Soldier No. 505 held the highest priority control over her body.