Before returning to the villa, Sylvia did as she had promised and reported the entire incident to the Hero Association.
Coincidentally, the Hero Association had just received word of what happened as well. They had nearly issued an emergency evacuation notice, treating the situation as a serious Demon-level disaster.
However, after Sylvia explained what had happened, the Hero Association wasn't particularly surprised. Instead, they had the helpless look of people who had already seen this coming.
According to Sitch, this was what everyone at the Hero Association had been thinking:
"After Tatsumaki-san flew off in a rage, I had a feeling things would end up like this."
In other words, the Hero Association was already well aware of Tatsumaki's reckless behavior.
There wasn't much they could do about it. Tatsumaki's power was simply too overwhelming.
Just as Sylvia had predicted, Tatsumaki was only one step away from the Second Rank. Among Third Rank existences, unless someone like Fang Li or Sylvia possessed a specialized means of countering her, there was practically no chance of defeating this terrifying Level 5 Esper in a one-on-one fight.
It was precisely because Tatsumaki possessed such terrifying power that Fubuki had spent years living in her shadow. The Hero Association regarded Tatsumaki as its ultimate weapon and generally left major Dragon-level incidents to her. Even Bang and Sweet Mask showed a certain degree of respect when speaking about her.
When an Esper of Tatsumaki's caliber fought seriously, there was no way the surrounding area would come out unscathed. Her previous battles had caused damage on various scales; there had even been times when she had dragged meteors down from outer space. The destruction that resulted was almost impossible to imagine.
According to the Hero Association's estimates, Tatsumaki and Sylvia's battle had completely leveled an area several kilometers across in A-City, turning it into ruins. The total damage was estimated to be in the trillions.
If Sylvia hadn't joined the Hero Association and dramatically increased the success of its fundraising campaigns, that kind of loss would have given quite a few of the Association's leaders a massive headache. They might even have been torn apart by furious investors.
After all, this wasn't damage caused by a disaster, it was the result of an internal fight between members of the Hero Association. If the truth came out, the Hero Association would probably become the target of A-City's residents' anger.
For that reason, the Hero Association could only classify the incident as a disaster and deal with it accordingly.
As for Sylvia and Tatsumaki, one was a consultant for the Hero Association while the other was its ultimate weapon. The Association couldn't afford to offend either of them.
In the end, all they could do was silently swallow the losses.
Fortunately, everyone in the area had already fled before the battle began. Otherwise, the situation would have been far more difficult to resolve.
Under these circumstances, Fang Li and Sylvia returned to the villa.
The moment they got back, Fang Li wasted no time complaining. "I'm asking you, are you really planning to get involved with those sisters all the way to the end?"
His voice was filled with obvious reluctance. It was clear just how much Fang Li disliked the Tatsumaki-Fubuki sisters.
"And don't tell me it's because you just can't stand by and do nothing." As if he had already seen through Sylvia's thoughts, Fang Li sighed. "Honestly, those two are so troublesome that even the kindest person would get fed up with them."
He wasn't wrong. While stepping in to help whenever you saw injustice might seem like the obvious thing to do, it was still better to consider who you were helping.
Fang Li wasn't someone who never lent others a hand; he simply chose who deserved it.
Take Sweet Mask, for example. If that guy ever found himself in danger right in front of Fang Li, Fang Li would simply watch from the sidelines unless there was a good reason to intervene.
That obsessive lunatic getting himself into trouble would be entirely his own fault. Fang Li would already be doing him a favor by not making things worse, so why bother helping him?
He might as well spend that time working on his Main Quest.
Tatsumaki and Fubuki were much the same. The reason their relationship had become so terrible was entirely because of their own actions. One had an extremely twisted desire to protect, while the other had a rebellious streak bordering on an inferiority complex.
That was why they couldn't get along.
But ultimately, it was still a family matter between the two sisters. Compared to the girls Fang Li had met in the past, girls who had suffered genuinely tragic pasts, the problems between these two were on an entirely different scale. When you stripped away all the details, it was basically just a particularly serious family argument.
Fang Li wasn't exactly a mediator. Was there really any need for him to get involved?
Of course, the severity of the situation wasn't even the main issue. The real problem was that the sisters' relationship had deteriorated simply because their personalities were incompatible. Just like Sweet Mask, they had largely brought this upon themselves.
Even if an outsider couldn't stand watching it happen, that didn't necessarily mean they should interfere.
"I understand what you're trying to say," Sylvia laughed helplessly. "I wasn't planning to interfere with their relationship either. I only stepped in because the situation forced me to."
Regardless of whatever grievances existed between Tatsumaki and Fubuki, Tatsumaki had been planning to ignore Fubuki's wishes and forcibly take her home.
"So I couldn't just stand by and watch Tatsumaki drag Fubuki away against her will, could I?" Sylvia smiled faintly. "After all, Fubuki and I have become friends. I couldn't just do nothing. Besides, if it were you, you'd probably do the same thing, wouldn't you?"
Sylvia stared directly at Fang Li, a hint of amusement in her purple eyes. "You're not the kind of person who would stand by and watch someone close to you get hurt either."
Fang Li immediately fell silent. After a moment, he spoke in an annoyed tone. "So you're planning to keep dealing with this troublesome mess?"
Sylvia shook her head. "Like you said, their relationship isn't something an outsider should interfere with."
Her tone was surprisingly light. "But even if it's a private matter, it can only be resolved when both sides are on equal footing. I just want to give Fubuki a chance to stand on equal ground."
Otherwise, no matter what Fubuki wanted to say, as long as she remained weaker than Tatsumaki, she would ultimately be forced to submit to Tatsumaki's strength. She wouldn't even have the chance to make her feelings heard.
Sylvia had no intention of meddling in the sisters' relationship; she simply couldn't stand by while Fubuki was treated unfairly.
"After all, Fubuki is my friend," Sylvia smiled as she said it.
Just like always, there was a warmth and generosity in her that was almost dazzling.
"Sigh..." Fang Li could only sigh. "Fine. If it's something you want to do, then do whatever you want."
Whatever happened, Fang Li would bear the consequences alongside Sylvia.
Still, it was obvious that this matter wasn't over yet.
(End Of This Chapter)
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