The sinister laughter of Broadcaster echoed through the underground parking lot as his hostages cowered in fear.
All eyes were on the supervillain as blood rolled down his knuckles. Beneath him lay the last barely conscious vigilante, drenched in a pool of red, murky liquid. A malicious grin spread across Broadcaster's face as he lifted the man by the throat, ready to strike another aggressive punch.
"Somebody… help," sobbed a small boy, hiding among the hostages, too scared to watch the slaughter.
The group was huddled up together, praying for a savior. But, as each second dragged on, their hope melted into intoxicating fear. The sight of them trembling under his gaze only fueled Broadcaster's sadistic pleasure. He reveled in their terror.
More.
Show me more of your pitiful expressions.
Come on. Shake more, I want to see more fear!
In his hand, Sakamoto, the vigilante, gritted his teeth and tightened his fist, throwing one last desperate punch at the villain. The latter turned to the man, laughing even harder.
"That did not hurt at all, Mr Vigilante. Come on, try again!" he taunted, humiliating and breaking him down further, his hand tightening around the man's throat. Sakamoto wriggled helplessly in the hand of his torturer, the last bit of strength seeping away from him.
The hostages, along with spectators from outside, all turned away, unable to witness the inevitable. They held their breath, praying for all of it to end soon.
But then, a gust of wind swept through the lot, followed by a loud crash. Everyone opened their eyes, staring in disbelief. A young girl with long black hair wearing a face mask stood in the place of Broadcaster, and in her arms was the wounded vigilante.
Too stunned to move, the group could only sit in silence, their eyes glued onto the girl. She turned around, moving forward, leaving the man in their care.
"Take him and the others to the back. You'll find an exit there," she said.
Her voice was calm and steady, though an underlying fury burned in her eyes. She quickly turned around, sensing the enemy approaching. Broadcaster, thrown back by the force of her arrival, lunged at her with a snarl.
"How dare you interrupt my broadcast!" he growled, packing a punch onto the girl.
Saki effortlessly dodged his attack, jumping up before kicking him in the face once again. The villain staggered back whilst the girl assumed an attacking stance.
"Go now!" she shouted, not even glancing back at the frozen hostages.
As they snapped out of their shock, those strong enough carried the other vigilantes and rushed to safety. Broadcaster, infuriated, clenched his fists and let out a primal growl.
"No one is getting out of here alive!" he snapped hysterically.
Suddenly, the ground trembled. Broadcaster began to pound the earth, shaking the entire building. Cracks started forming on the ground, and before long, it split enough to make the whole building unstable, as vehicles and people were all sliding down the rifts. He grabbed a few of the trucks and threw them across the area, blocking the path to the exit.
Soon, bigger parts of the building began to fall down. Saki darted through the lot, destroying the debris as she shielded the people with swift and precise movements. Meanwhile, Broadcaster relentlessly threw projectiles at her. The girl jumped around, kicking away the vehicles while lifting up the civilians and moving them to safety.
Sweat dripped off her face, stinging her eyes as she breathed heavily. Protecting people was more tiring than just beating up supervillains. And with her opponent being crafty, she did not have many opportunities to put him down. Taking in a deep breath, she coughed as dust scratched her throat. The terrain was not the best either for a fight.
Her limbs burned with exhaustion, but none of that mattered. Not now. Her priority was to keep everyone safe until the heroes arrived. So she had to hang in there.
"Everyone, stay close and protect yourself from the debris," she ordered.
The others nodded, placing all their hopes on her. The girl's eyes flickered to the exit. If she could swiftly take out the trucks, the people would be able to get out, leaving just her to face the villain. But that meant she had to take him down—or at least hold him off. And for that to happen, she needed to create an opportunity.
She approached Broadcaster cautiously, scrutinising him in an attempt to find an opening. Despite being a skilled fighter, Saki knew that she would not be able to win against him. Broadcaster was an A-Class villain, and Saki was far below those ranks. She had, in fact, never faced a villain this strong.
His ability was muscle reinforcement, which was a bad match for her. Her agility and super strength were her only advantages, but those wouldn't be enough against someone who was clearly physically stronger than her. She was at a disadvantage.
Broadcaster chuckled darkly, sensing her hesitation. He smirked, clearly enjoying the fight. He had found himself a new toy to play with.
"Not bad, kid. It's the first time a girl has managed to hit me."
"I'm not a kid. I'm a vigilante," replied Saki, her voice firm, though her hands trembled slightly.
The supervillain could not help but laugh at her.
"You? A vigilante? With this fragile body? They really just take anyone these days."
Saki did not answer. She ran towards her opponent, throwing a punch at him. However, this time, the man grabbed her hand mid-swing, easily lifting her in the air. She stretched her legs forward, stomping her feet in his face, desperately trying to escape his grasp.
The villain groaned in pain but did not let go. Instead, he swung her around like a rag doll, blood flowing out of his nostrils. Saki crashed against a few vehicles and a concrete column, as she screamed in agony. Blood poured from her wounds, bruises blossoming across her skin. She collapsed to the ground, dazed and barely able to move.
He sprang forward, standing over her as he pounded his giant fists onto her. Blood sprayed from her mouth as her ribs cracked under the pressure.
"Come on. Where did the feisty girl of earlier go? Entertain me some more!"
For a few seconds, Saki's vision was blurry while her ears were ringing. She could barely breathe, and every time she did, her body severely ached all over. Never had she found herself in such a situation. Her head felt lightheaded, and the metallic taste and scent of her own blood made her even more dizzy.
It hurts… It hurts so much…
She closed her eyes, too exhausted and wounded to do anything else. Everything became silent once again; there was no sound, no disturbance, just peace and quiet.
The girl could almost picture her funerals, and the upset look on her grandfather's face, his disapproval turning to sorrow when he learned what had happened. Her chest tightened at the thought, and tears began to well in her eyes.
If only she'd listened to him…
But then, the images of the beaten vigilantes and the scared hostages invaded her mind. Their screams rang in her ears, and past memories came back to her. She snapped back to reality, gasping for breath, choking as she tried to focus. She was lifted in the air, his hand tightening around her throat.
Saki's eyes shot open, her mind clearing as a cold realization hit her. She quickly placed her hand on the back of her neck, but it was too late. The villain's gaze had locked onto the exposed mark on the back of her neck—the V-brand that marked her as a villain, just like him.
A wave of laughter burst from Broadcaster. "This is hilarious! A villain trying to play the hero!" He threw her toward the hostages.
Blood coated her face as she lay there, dazed, gasping for air. She struggled to rise, but the pain was overwhelming.
Saki stood still, not a sound came out of her, whilst others were in shock at the sudden revelation. Though partially covered with blood and dust, they could all see the distinct V-mark that had branded her for life as a villain.
Saki's stomach churned. The girl wanted to hide in a hole. The bane of her existence had been exposed to everyone. The one thing she feared most had happened. All her efforts, her actions, meant nothing now. No one would trust her again, and trust was important even for a vigilante.
"What's funnier is that the people you were trying so hard to protect a few minutes ago are all looking at you with terrified expressions. This is truly pure comedy!" Broadcaster crowed, amused by the situation.
He moved forward, shaking his head in mock pity.
"As expected, human beings are selfish bastards. Even if you helped them a thousand times, it won't change the fact that you are someone they despise. It's funny that you even tried to help them out in the first place. Or did playing the hero make you forget your place in society?"
He chuckled, getting closer to Saki.
"Wake up, kid. Villains will forever be villains. You can't change what you are. So don't stand in my way," he said in a cold voice before slapping her in the face.
Saki flew to the side. Her body was helplessly lying on the cold, broken ground.
"Now then, who wants to die first?" laughed the supervillain.
The young girl gritted her teeth, getting back up slowly. Pain was banging against the corners of her head, as more blood oozed out of her. Her hands flailed around, trying to pick up a few pieces of concrete. With much difficulty, she threw them at the villain one by one.
"Fight… me…"
"Ha? What are you doing?"
"Fight… me!" she cried, her voice breaking but full of defiance.
"Are you kidding me?"
She picked another small piece of debris and launched it at him, while she got back up, her legs trembling beneath her. Though she could barely see, her eyes stayed fixated on the villains. Her hands were closed tightly as she took a fighting stance.
"You don't know how to give up, huh? How annoying."