I'm Not Your Dad, I'm a Villain - Chapter 66

Chapter 66

The Strongest Partner (2)

If the electricity that the kid just shot was his maximum output, he would be considered C-rank at best…

No, seeing that he couldn’t immediately shoot again and had to recharge, he was probably just D-rank.

And usually, minions tend to stick with others of similar rank.

“Even the lowest tier heroes start at C-rank… No matter how much of a lowly E-rank I am, I have experience, and this is just not a fair match, is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just grab him!!”

With that shout from their leader, the hooded men and women began to charge at me.

I dodged into a nearby alley, searching for something I could use as a weapon.

There were iron pipes left on the street, broken wooden planks, and so on…

-Smack!

I grabbed one of them and struck the head of the guy who followed me into the alley.

As he reached out to grab me, flames shot from his hand, but I didn’t bother getting hit.

Even though I have regenerative abilities, getting hit would slow me down.

Plus, it wasn’t worth it to endure such weak attacks.

“He dodged that?”

“Of course, I did, you idiot.”

-Crack!

I hit the hand that fired the flames with the pipe and kicked his body away.

“Ah! My arm… gah!”

To shut his noisy mouth, I threw the pipe at him.

Then, with the wooden plank in my other hand, I struck down more of them as they came into the alley.

“What are you doing against one guy!”

“You’re not doing anything either!”

Despite their numbers, they were getting desperate because they couldn’t do anything to me.

They attacked me, but I had no intention of standing still and taking the hits.

Their aim was terrible, so I could dodge them easily.

They shot out of fear like inexperienced children, nothing compared to the real battles I’ve been in.

“Damn it… Gah!”

I knocked down all of them, and then sat on one of their backs with my weight.

The rest got up and glared at me, but that was all.

Even though they showed hostility, not a single one dared to charge at me.

Of course, if they had any sense, they would realize their limits.

Unless they were like me, who had fought in the field like a dog, these kids with only D-rank abilities had no chance of winning a real fight.

“Damn it!!”

But what was more ridiculous was that even these weak abilities weren’t their own power but the result of using a shortcut.

“What is this?”

“Aagh!”

I twisted his wrist and examined the syringe he had.

It bore the Hell Scout logo.

Anatomy had been a shareholder of that company, which produced ‘Rank-Up.’

It temporarily boosts your rank but is highly addictive and has severe side effects… essentially a deadly drug that kills its users over time.

“I see what’s going on now.”

I tossed the syringe to the ground and pulled off the hood and mask of the guy I had pinned.

He was in his late teens at most. If he focused on his studies, he would probably be in college.

Legally an adult, but still considered a ‘student’ socially.

Student riots aren’t a rare occurrence in the history of Pangea.

“So, you took drugs to get some power and decided to throw away your youth in a riot?”

At that young age, the desire for power must be great.

Even after their gifts manifested, they were looked down upon as E-ranks, so they must have wanted to experience greater power.

The instigators preyed on young students, filling their heads with sweet promises and ambitions, leading them astray… Ouroboros has faced countless villain organizations that used such tactics.

“And now that you’ve committed the act, how does it feel? Seeing yourself helplessly pinned down by someone with no real power, do you feel pathetic?”

“S-shut up!!”

The one I had pinned yelled at me, unlike the others who remained silent, showing his anger towards me.

“We… we won’t fall so easily! We are proud members of the Pangea Liberation Front, fighting to overthrow this continent’s government!!”

“Liberation Front, my ass. Do you think spewing noble words makes you honorable?”

-Slap!

I grabbed his head and slapped him hard.

Blood spurted from his split lips.

I hit him several more times until he feebly tried to stop me with trembling hands.

“S-stop. Please…”

“Stop? My ass.”

-Crack!

I closed my open hand into a fist and smashed his nose.

His body convulsed, and some of the minions began to tremble and back away.

They had initially shown bravado, but now they were scared.

“Kids,”

I had gone through a similar phase, so I understood.

For those who devoted their youth to seeking change, the end is either death or a fate worse than death.

Once they leave the field, they will regret their involvement.

“While you’re messing around with me, how many people do you think have died in this city?”

There are many ways to end that regret.

You can go crazy and focus on digging into one thing, claim righteousness in your actions and mentally overcome it, or rely on pleasure like drugs or prostitution.

“Waaah!”

But those are stories for later.

At this moment, they must face the sins they’re committing.

“Waaah! Mom, wake up! Mom!”

A child’s cries came from outside the alley.

There had been signs before this moment.

Explosions continued throughout the city, and their fellow rioters were still rampaging.

“Don’t look away. Look straight ahead.”

I spoke directly to those hesitating at the noise.

“This is what you’ve done.”

Even if they didn’t directly harm others, they were still responsible.

Belonging to an organization means bearing the sins committed by that organization.

“Help! Someone is trapped under here!”

“It’s too late, run away!”

“Please, please save us!”

“Ahhhh!”

In the short time we tussled in the alley, the outside had turned into a battlefield, with smoke rising in increasing numbers.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, rioting simultaneously…

In a society where stronger abilities are highly valued, the release of Rank-Up made such events inevitable.

“This… this is all for a greater cause…”

Though it started from greed, they dressed it up as a revolution.

“Ahhhh!”

I twisted the shoulder of the one babbling nonsense.

A scream echoed as I exerted more force.

“Sacrifice, martyrdom, a noble cause… Such beautiful words.”

I continued, inflicting as much pain as I could while recounting my life.

“But for those who’ve never experienced it, the only ones who can talk about revolution are those willing to die.”

Even if they face bullets tearing their limbs apart, intestines spilling from their bellies, witnessing their comrades’ heads exploding, and realizing their own impending death.

Only those who can persevere through such horrors have the right to speak of revolution.

“Instead of pointing guns at innocent civilians, they should be willing to sacrifice their own lives for their cause.”

Yet, even that isn’t because it’s right.

Without self-justification, most revolutionaries face overwhelming regret and despair.

“You’re just losers who wasted your youth on a stupid terror act.”

And what are these kids doing?

They started this out of their desires but never considered they might get hurt.

Dressing up their actions with grand words like revolution to justify themselves and seeking comfort in the agreement of their peers.

“And they don’t even expect to die in their own plans.”

I particularly despise such people.

I’ve seen them in myself, my comrades, and the countless villains in this world.

“W-we were wrong. P-please spare us…”

But as a mere villain, how could I save them?

All I can do is teach these disgusting trash a lesson.

The world isn’t kind like a mother who indulges a child’s tantrums.

Revolutionaries who aren’t willing to sacrifice themselves will only end in tearful, bloody misery.

“If you’re upset, complain to the one who instigated you and filled your head with vanity.”

I stomped on his jaw to stifle his scream and raised the iron pipe overhead.

Holding it like a golf club.

“I’m too weak to show mercy for a momentary lapse in judgment.”

Naturally, the target was the pathetic kid writhing in front of me.

To use him as an example for the others around me.

“S-stop…”

“Somebody help!”

Even as they faced their comrade’s impending death, they couldn’t bring themselves to act, only screaming at the sky.

But it’s a futile cry.

Even if they acted rashly, who would save those who have embraced evil…

-Whoosh!

…Damn, what’s that?

-Boom!

The sound of something tearing through the air.

I instinctively turned my gaze, and something crashed into the ground, causing a violent tremor.

In that moment of hesitation.

The guy pinned beneath me grabbed his twisted arm and fled, but I couldn’t afford to worry about him.

“Ku, kwiiik…”

I thought it was a meteorite, but it was a person, not a rock, who crashed outside the alley.

A person with a clear fist mark on his face, spewing blood…

Yet just barely alive.

“Heavy?”

One of the rioters recognized him.

“What? Heavy?”

“No way. Heavy was supposed to be a B-rank after using Rank-Up. Who did this!!”

From what I overheard, he seemed to be a high-ranking member of the so-called Liberation Front responsible for this mess.

Even at B-rank with Rank-Up, he’s just a kid at C-rank… In this pond, even a lizard can act like a dragon.

“Hey, you guys. Just surrender.”

What’s important now is who this ‘real dragon’ is that defeated the guy who pretended to be one.

I looked towards the building rooftop where I saw a figure preparing to leap.

Bending at the waist, with one leg extended back, ready to spring forward.

Yes, it was a typical stance a hero takes before moving at superhuman speed.

“R-run… what are you…”

“Unless you want to live the rest of your life as a crippled criminal, just surrender.”

Realizing that, I immediately predicted the outcome of this riot in the city.

No matter how strong the rioters were, how many there were, who was behind them, or what their goal was.

-Thud!

The moment the strongest hero I know descended upon this city.

All of that became meaningless.

***

And…

In the warehouse district on the outskirts of D-zone.

“Kh, haaargh…”

Monster Pirate, a high-ranking member of the Pangea Liberation Front and former C-rank wanted criminal, trembled as he stared at the one holding his neck.

“N-no way… I’m a B-rank now… How…”

-Crack.

With a twist of his wrist, Monster Pirate’s neck snapped.

His eyes rolled back as his body went limp, and Vanguard tossed him to the ground, quietly surveying the surroundings.

The minions of the Liberation Front lay scattered all around. Although their abilities had been enhanced with Rank-Up, they had all been subdued by a single person.

Normally, numerical superiority is crucial in battles, making this feat impressive to anyone.

“You might have your own stories.”

But Vanguard didn’t consider his actions significant.

What happened here was a fight between many and one before it was a fight between justice and evil.

Justice must never lose to evil.

“But as long as your path leads to evil, I will do my duty as a hero.”

He reaffirmed his resolve with a quiet murmur.

Adjusting his white mask, he moved towards the warehouse district, clenching his fist.

“It’s time to execute justice.”

Unbreakable Vanguard.

That was all he pursued.

End of Chapter