(What exactly is a hero?)

Night fell, and flames soared into the sky.

Setsuna stood at the top of the tallest building in Baosu City and looked down. The chaotic corner was extremely conspicuous in the quiet night. The villain's goal was clear, but it was also unclear.

"… Probably, they just want to cause destruction."

She reported in a low voice to the other end of the headset.

Without a precise target and a unified plan of action, the aliens rampaging on the streets just "wanted to cause destruction."

After a moment of silence, the order to return to the team came through the headset. Setsuna turned over and jumped from the top of the building. The cool night wind hit her face, and her thoughts were extremely clear.

(And as a hero, what should the "right thing" be to do?)

Baosu City was not big. Following the location on the phone, she successfully returned to the team in less than two minutes. The assistants who followed the second hero all year round were indeed experienced and knowledgeable. Seeing her fall from the sky like she was about to jump off the building, they were too lazy to lift their eyelids. Andwar was even more straightforward, "Is there any other information?"

Setsuna shook her head and hesitated again.

"There is no practical information that I can see with my own eyes, but I have some personal speculations …" She paused and continued when she saw that no one was going to interrupt her, "I think everyone has heard about the USJ incident. The villain that appeared this time, although the strength and characteristics are not the same, but … but he also has an exposed brain, which I am very concerned about."

Hearing this, the person who also experienced the USJ incident frowned, "Are the people who appeared at the same time the last time nearby?"

"No, but if there is a villain who can teleport over a long distance, it is not difficult for them to find a hidden place to watch the battle," Setsuna replied.

It was specious information, but it could be said that there was some basis for it.

After all, it was the villain who made Ormet suffer in the widely spread incident. Everyone present did not dare to act rashly. They turned to look at their boss and waited for him to make a decision. It turned out that the boss was always wise. Even if he was not wise, he could always shoulder the responsibility.

Andwar, who could shoulder the responsibility, did not even hesitate for a moment. A villain who made Ormet suffer?

Isn't that better? .jpg, he turned around and led the way.

Setsuna gave up moving and consciously followed at the end of the team. She could rush to the scene of the incident faster alone, but in the face of a villain who was comparable to Ormet in physical strength, she could not do anything even if she arrived early.

(So even if she saw it, she could not immediately help... at least her current judgment should be correct. at least..)

However, the feeling of helplessness would not be lessened.

"What's wrong?"

Noticing her gloomy expression, Hong who was running beside her asked in a low voice.

Cha Na was silent for a moment. Thinking about some things by oneself was called thinking about life. But if it was publicized, it would be too pretentious. After thinking for a long time, he gave a less serious answer, "… I just feel that what I can do is still too little …"

Hong looked at her calmly and then turned his head back.

"But we came here in order to deal with this kind of situation.

“

......... to...................

"— Do you still remember what you said?"

. "He said softly.

".. Jiao Dongjun …"

The night wind suddenly blew, carrying with it the smell of smoke from the battlefield that was gradually approaching. In an instant, she shifted her gaze away from him, took a deep breath, and gradually calmed down. It was easier to deal with a state without any fluctuations. Careful thinking and rigorous calculations were easier. The war was imminent, and she was in a good state.

.. Good condition?

Two email notifications rang out at the same time, causing everyone to turn around to take a look. The young boys and girls at the back of the line were baffled as they took out their phones one after another. Not only did the cloud of doubt on their faces not dissipate, but they also revealed a puzzled expression.

".. Midaya Kun (Kun)?"

…

...

...

. Midaya Dehisa was not a person who did not have a plan.

Time was of the essence, and the battle situation was critical. They could only hurriedly press the group location icon. Even though not everyone could read it, and not everyone who could read it happened to have the ability to come, they couldn't give up even if there was only the slightest chance.

"That's probably what Midaya Kun is thinking."

Carrying Boom, who was shuttling back and forth in the air, Setsuna looked for abnormalities on the ground and murmured.

Boom did not have a deep understanding of Midaya. The only thing he was sure of was that Midaya was not a person who would joke about this kind of thing. Otherwise, he would not have stood his father up, grabbed Setsuna's hand, and ran out.

"I can only ask him clearly … over there!"

Boom did not have to concentrate on calculating. Boom was the first to catch a glimpse of a flash of green light in the alley. Setsuna closed her mouth without saying a word and teleported in that direction. When she landed, she was just in time to hear that creepy sentence.

The man's voice was like a snake's tongue, cold and coiled around her ears.

". Someone must correct this wrong society."

[... and as a hero, what should be the "right thing" to do?]

Setsuna shuddered in a daze.

She wanted to know the person in front of her. Together with the information she had investigated and the analysis she had done, she stored it somewhere in her mind with incomparable clarity.

[The theory of results is that the right or wrong of an action completely depends on the result of the action.

And the so-called "right action" is that when the actor is faced with various possible actions, he or she chooses the action that can achieve the best result.]

[According to this theory, the "right hero" should be "the person who brings about positive results for the stability of society."]

[Therefore, in a society where the number of heroes is rising steadily and the crime rate is always high, a person said this.]

"If the result is' now ', then the wrong person can only be the' hero 'himself or herself."

The cold light of the sword flashed coldly under the moonlight. The villain, whose face could not be seen clearly, pointed the tip of his sword at them. The blood-red scarf fluttered in the night wind. He looked indifferently at Boom and Setsuna, who rushed over in a hurry. His scrutinizing gaze was as sharp as the tip of his sword.

"Don't you think so? — 'Hero's Reserve.'"

With such a distinct personal characteristic, no one could think of anything else other than that person.

"— Hero Killer, Stein."

Setsuna suppressed the discomfort in her heart and slowly threw the name into the air. From the corner of her eye, she looked at Midaya, who was leaning against the wall, who seemed to be lightly injured but could not move. Iida, who looked terrifying just by looking at the amount of HP, and a certain someone whose name she could not name but who looked like a professional hero. "This is really … No wonder Midaya Kun sent his location."

"If there's a next time, remember to send your location in more detail."

Boom, he put away his phone. The burning flame on his left hand exuded a silent pressure. "Without the Teleporter, it's still very troublesome to find him."

"Yes, but fortunately, I've cooperated with Jiao Dongjun a lot in actual combat. Before the real professional hero arrives, it should be possible to stall him, right?"

She clasped the steel needle in her palm. Her blue eyes gradually settled into a bottomless ocean.

(Let's put aside whether it was correct or not.)

With her companions behind her and the villain in front of her, there was only one thing to do.

"— I definitely won't let you kill them."

Bombardment Scorch said in a deep voice.

There was no time to think about why Boom and Setsuna would appear together, and no time to question why the two of them called each other by the name of a hero. Midaya Dehisa saw a glimmer of hope and made a choice that was incomparably practical and went straight to the point.

"— This person's personality is probably to restrict the opponent's movement by sucking blood. Be careful of his blade!"

“？！”

The warning stopped Setsuna from preparing to engage in close combat. Fortunately, there were still mid-range attacks. Boom's flame had already rushed to the only opponent on the field. The overwhelming wide-range attack directly blocked most of the paths. Setsuna clenched the steel needle in her hand and waited for the opponent to enter her range.

"— Too crude."

“！！！”

A hoarse male voice rang in her ears. In an instant, she dodged the oncoming blade by a hair's breadth. Four steel needles fell to the ground out of thin air not far away, making ear-piercing clanging sounds. She really could not understand what had happened. 0.72 seconds. It was clearly not an exaggeration to use the word 'instant' to describe the activation time, but why …

Another flame attack came, and the unscathed villain once again pulled away from them.

"His speed is too fast."

She whispered. It was hard to imagine that this was the skill of a villain who completely had nothing to do with his personality and physical fitness.

"… Tsk!"

Boom raised his foot and stamped a line of ice. The movement of the members who could now move was not hindered by the ice. Although it seemed that the enemy was not very troubled by it either. "How can he even dodge this?!"

Yes, why? It was not that they had never encountered villains who preached violence for their own selfish desires during their daily patrols. The number of times they fought was not low, but no one could achieve such combat strength with just their physical ability alone.

Even professional heroes who had undergone strict combat training relied on their personalities and strengths. However, the person in front of him was not like that at all. His personality was simply a support to him. His physical ability was just like a "hero killer." He was born to fight and kill.

"He has completely given up on his own life. What kind of obsession can make him do this …!"

“

After the next wave of dense needles fell to the ground, Setsuna quickly estimated the speed of consumption and the remaining reserves in her mind. Cold sweat on her back deepened. Not good, not good. The next second, she met a pair of blood-red eyes very close to her.

"Obsession?" "?!!"

She narrowly dodged another attack. When she leaned back, she could still see the hair on her forehead that had been cut off. A layer of ice formed in an instant and blocked Stein, who wanted to chase after her, and his unwavering voice.

"You really know how to talk, little girl."

The blade flashed under the moonlight. Cha Na's body leaped backward a second before the alarm went off in his head. However, Stein's long blade had already crossed the ice layer and was heading straight for him. "What a foolish decision to take the initiative to block the enemy's line of sight. Let's use this attack to —"

"— Chisaki!!!"

A green electric light hit Stein's cheek with the force of a punch. The green figure that was lying limp in the corner quickly jumped out. Midaya's voice was never as urgent as it was at this moment. "I don't know why, but I can move!

Leave this to me and Bang King. Chisaki, please take the other two and leave!!! "

[(And as a hero, what should be the 'right thing' to do?)]

Because she was not strong enough, because she could not have the best of both worlds, she had to make a choice. She had to make the 'right choice'.

Then at this moment, this choice.

Setsuna bit her lower lip and silently brushed past the two people who were rushing towards Stein. At the same time, she stretched out her hands to the two people on the ground.

[(Is it the 'right'?)]

"— Unfortunately, it's the 'wrong' choice."

Like a nightmare, a blood-red scarf fell from the sky. Her pupils constricted. This was impossible. She had Midaya Dehisa and Bombardment Scorch behind her. They were ranked at the top of the first grade in terms of pure strength. Whether it was in terms of agility or attack power, they were born with strong personalities. So, it was impossible that they couldn't even delay a villain for a second …!

"Betraying your companions is not what a hero does."

The man opened his blood-red eyes. Under the moonlight, the blade was as clear as water and mercilessly slashed down from the sky. "Unfortunately, I quite like your eyes.

Goodbye, little girl in confusion — "

[That's the little dream sleeping in the young man's heart.]

[Little, a little insignificant, a little unthinking, a little unscrupulous.]

[But it still stubbornly grows in the bottom of my heart, yearning for one day to break out of the ground and perhaps finally see the light of day.]

[(I want to be a hero like my brother.)]

"— I won't let anyone here get hurt again!!!"

It was a shout, a roar, or both.

The class monitor, who was used to being strict and even overly polite, had a ferocious expression when he shouted this sentence. His body, which had just regained the ability to move freely, was still stiff and uncontrollable. With that kind of body, he blocked a blow that was enough to cut through ice. Cracks appeared on his pure white armor, and the blood that gradually gushed out was about to drown the blade.

[What should I do?]

(The closest I can reach are Stein and the newly recovered Iida-kun. What I can't reach is the professional hero who is also my target.)

(If Iida-kun's blood is sucked out again, he will lose his ability to move again. With the current distance, I can't escape with two people at the same time. If I only take Iida-kun with me, it's the same as giving up the professional hero's life. But if I don't escape at all, I can't protect two people who can't fight at all.)

[What should I do?]

Time seemed to have stopped. She could even hear her heartbeat suddenly slowing down. The voice behind her became more and more indistinct. The only color left in the world was the red blood on Iida's shoulder.

[As a hero.]

[As a companion.]

The decision was made in a thousandth of a second. She calmly and unwaveringly reached out her hand to the most dangerous person in the room.