NOVEL NEXT chapter 239
Meanwhile, above ground.
Citizens had thrown themselves forward like meat shields, charging down the path opened by the Trash Duo and exhausting Darai Fanclub’s munitions in the process.
At the same time, police forces launched a rear assault via helicopter to support from behind.
By the time roughly 80% of the civilians were rendered incapacitated, the mafia and medical teams finally rushed in.
With the mafia pushing from the front and police pressing from the rear, the Darai Fanclub was completely wiped out.
As the incapacitated were revived and promptly cuffed, the citizens’ representative—Chairman Alpha (Youngun)—raised a megaphone and shouted:
“We’ve received a report from the chiefs who breached through the northwest waterway! Former Police Commissioner Mugeon, who betrayed us, has been confirmed KIA! All that remains is the underground fortress—and a few Red Hood survivors inside!”
The crowd of citizens, police, and mafia alike erupted into cheers.
It was a victory built on strategic superiority and numbers.
“One medic, please head to the northwest waterway and tend to Sergeant Woof Woof and Sergeant Dolphin, who opened the route. Mafia bosses, please step this way.”
The noisy crowd around Youngun was quickly cleared, and after a short shuffle, two mafia bosses stood before him.
Dingsam, former boss of the Eastern Taeho faction, now leading the operation.
And Naoi (Eona), former boss of the Western Chogyeon faction, serving as deputy commander.
You might be wondering why Eona suddenly showed up—well, after Bazubi, the original Eastern boss, voluntarily stepped down, the spot opened up and Eona slipped into it somewhat by accident.
As for the other Western bosses—Kim Muscle (Wanggu) was great at fighting games but awful with guns, and Binyeo (Rain) had jumped ship to the Darai Fanclub the moment the Western mafia collapsed.
In any case, these two were the most reliable when it came to combat.
So Youngun said it plainly:
“I’m leaving underground operations to you two.”
“…What about the citizen rep? Aren’t you coming with us?”
“I’m standing in as acting commissioner now, so I can’t leave my post.”
With public trust in the police still shaky, Youngun was doubling as temporary police chief.
Given the massive casualties on both the citizen and police sides, he couldn’t afford to join the final assault just yet.
“I’ll follow once things are cleaned up here. Just do your best to pressure Red Hood with your remaining forces.”
Still, Dingsam wasn’t too keen on heading in with just the mafia.
Citizens didn’t exactly trust the mafia either.
The only reason that sentiment was muted was because Red Hood was such an overwhelming threat—but in broader terms, the mafia were also long-time enemies of law and order.
If the mafia alone defeated Red Hood?
You could already hear the conspiracy theories.
“Is the mafia trying to take over the city? Are they cutting a deal with Red Hood just like Mugeon did?”
So Dingsam needed to bring along someone from the citizen side. Absolutely.
And there was really only one suitable person at the moment.
“Representative, come with us. I promise we won’t throw you into the frontlines.”
“Huh?”
“More than anything, it should be you who delivers the final blow to Red Hood. Only then does the image come together: the citizens’ leader crushing the city’s greatest evil.”
Eona nodded in agreement beside him.
“He’s right. Even if we defeat Red Hood, people will wonder if it was really legit. But if you’re there, they’ll believe it.”
Youngun clicked his tongue in frustration.
Citizens and police alike were waiting nearby, still expecting his orders.
If he left now, it could cause chaos.
But if he didn’t see Red Hood’s final defeat with his own eyes… the mafia might have a point. Rumors would follow.
“…Alright. Just give me a few minutes. I need to finish up a few urgent things first.”
He sighed and was just about to call the East and West Division Chiefs—
When someone appeared.
“Good day, are you the citizens’ representative?”
A burly man with a rugged, battered face bowed respectfully to Youngun.
His voice was low and gruff—yet unmistakably familiar.
[Kim Cheol-soo]
Youngun saw the nametag and nearly burst out laughing.
“Pffft—Ahem. W-Who are you again? I’ve been meeting so many people lately, I can’t quite recall… H-Have we met before? Snrk.”
— Who the hell is this LMAO
— Isn’t that the guy who just died?? 😂
— Bro... it’s Mugeon with a fake name
— Kim Cheol-soo is so suspicious I can’t 😂
— His name screams budget alt account lol
He really had tried to disguise himself—but the voice, the delivery—it was just too obvious.
Most of chat had already figured out Kim Cheol-soo was actually Mugeon.
Whether he realized that or not, Mugeon started his act, totally unbothered.
“No, I just transferred into Blitz City last week. I’ve been out on assignment in a neighboring city, so I’ve been away for a while. This is my first time meeting you, Representative. I’ve heard you’re doing great work.”
Raising an eyebrow, Youngun asked again,
“So, uh… what did you need me for? I’ve got a mountain of admin stuff to deal with, so maybe just get to the point? Snrk…”
— Bro please control yourself 😭
— I mean to be fair this is hilarious
Kim Cheol-soo (Mugeon) smiled brightly and replied,
“Seems you’re busy, Representative. I just wanted to let you know—you can take your time finishing up with the citizens and police. I’ll lead the remaining able-bodied civilians and head down with the mafia to finish off Red Hood.”
“Uh… huh?”
“Yes. I’m confident in my combat skills. Even made a name for myself as a sniper during my previous assignment.”
“A sniper…? You are a civilian, right?”
“Haha, don’t worry about the small details. I’m definitely not police or mafia.”
With Mugeon’s betrayal, even the remaining police officers were viewed with suspicion. That meant they couldn’t send any remaining officers or civilians underground unless they were directly supervised by Youngun.
But now here was this guy—not police, not mafia, and highly capable—volunteering out of nowhere?
It was suspicious. But Youngun didn’t have a better option.
He wasn’t refusing to go down himself—he just needed a little more time.
“I’ll give you a radio. Please provide live updates. I’ll follow as soon as I finish up here.”
“Thank you for trusting me. I’ll make sure your trust is well placed.”
“…You are really strong, right? I don’t need to worry?”
Kim Cheol-soo flashed a perfect row of teeth.
“I’ve heard plenty about Red Hood’s fearsome reputation. But at this point, they’re just rats trapped in a cage. If anything, I’d like to be the one to put an end to them myself.”
*
Meanwhile, at the same time...
In the underground fortress connected to the sewers.
Darami was dressing herself up, making final preparations for what would be her grand finale.
Which meant—at this moment, the only one guarding the entrance... was Pin0.
That probably sounds absurd.
But the fortress had been built as a massive labyrinth.
Enemies would spend ages just figuring out where to go—and Pin0, using a secret room located one floor above the maze, could move freely, picking off intruders from behind or above.
It was one giant trap, meticulously crafted to let a few defenders take on a large invading force.
The fortress was divided into three zones, sealed off with thick armored walls.
Unless they got through all of it, there was no way anyone could reach this chamber—where Magia and Darami now stood side by side.
Magia pinned a red rose on Darami’s outfit and snickered.
“So, Boss? Did you get what you wanted from Blitz City?”
A phonograph nearby played classical music, brought in by Magia herself.
Swaying softly to the melody and rhythm, Darami mimicked Magia’s signature giggle—for the first and last time.
“Kikiki…”
Hearing that, Magia burst into a fit of laughter.
And Darami, swept up in Magia’s laughter, joined in, giggling uncontrollably for a long while.
Eventually calming herself down, Darami spoke.
“Ah, it really has been a satisfying time.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I always wanted to become a notorious criminal everyone knew. And now, I’ve finally become someone whose name is spoken across the entire city. It’s an incredible feeling.”
Clapping enthusiastically, Magia beamed.
“Really? I’m glad you’re satisfied. When my sister first told me about you, I knew I had to team up with you! I kinda pulled the strings and pushed you around a lot, but hey—it suits you!”
“Well, I was kind of pathetic ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) when we first met. It's a miracle you didn’t die from how frustrating I must’ve been. But you stuck with me, believed in me, and thanks to that, the perfect me was born. You polished this gem.”
“Ahaha! Listen to you now—you even talk like a proper boss! That’s what I wanted to hear! That’s Red Hood boss material right there!”
“I worked every single day to become the perfect boss. So that everyone in this city would fear me… and respect me.”
“Oooh~ impressive!”
— Gotta hand it to her
— FR LOL
— Watching Darami’s arc over the last 3 weeks… peak character development
— Who would've guessed that a literal nobody would break 10k average viewers in days
— D A R A M I
After cackling for a while with her usual villainous flair, Darami pulled a light machine gun from her inventory and gripped it with both hands as she looked to Magia.
“So, you’re staying here?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? If you do, it’ll be obvious you were the real mastermind. You used me all this time to hide your existence. Why reveal yourself now?”
Magia simply shrugged.
“Because that’s the punchline of the joke.”
“The… punchline?”
“The whole twist is that the one who threw this entire city into chaos wasn’t some big scary figure—it was just a tiny little gremlin like me. The moment people realize that, the shock they’ll feel… I want to savor it, chew it up and let it hit full force as my curtain falls.”
Darami gave a breathless laugh, then reached out and gently ruffled Magia’s hair.
“I still don’t understand how your brain works. I thought I’d caught up, grown a lot… but you’re always one step ahead of me.”
Then, with a confident grin, Darami turned and headed toward the sound of chaos echoing through the maze.
“I hope we meet again, Tia.”
“See you later!”
Taptaptap.
Darami’s light footsteps disappeared into the labyrinth.
Explosions shattered the maze walls, sending tremors through the ground.
Agonized screams rang out from those hit and downed.
Others yelled in fury, helpless in their incapacitated state.
And amid it all, the solitary sounds of Pin0 doing her job—grenades and pistol shots echoing through the dark.
And soon, at the center of it all—
The light machine gun roared to life in rhythmic bursts, adding the final instrument to the orchestra.
This was Tia’s symphony.
A symphony of sin, rapidly approaching its final movement.
The audience, sensing the end, began to feel the weight of it settling in.
— Pin0 down
— Guess it’s Tia’s turn to go now…
— I’ve gotten too used to Tia’s Slug-tier speech, I don’t think I can go back to regular Magia
:: An anonymous viewer has donated 1,000 Clouds! ::
:: “One rival down, lol.” ::
— I am going to miss Tia, seriously
— I got so attached…
— I’m not built for this. My tear ducts are busted. You better be happy
— I've become a full-on lolicon uncle. God help me
But Tia would have to step down from the conductor’s podium.
She would burn brightly, fueling the fire that would finally bring peace to the city.
And in the end—vanish, reduced to ash.
Bzzt.
Darami, still carrying the fight, had left her radio on—just loud enough for Magia to hear.
[YAAAAAAH! BRING IT ON!! I’M THE STRONGEST IN THIS CITYYYYY——!!]
[Fire!]
[Go! Go in!]
[Don’t be scared—move!!]
[KYAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA! KAH—cough—Kuhk…]
Then the sounds of Darami stumbling as she was hit.
Ratatatatatat…
And the machine gun’s final performance… came to an end.
From the crackling radio, a man’s voice followed.
[Surrender now. I know you were only being used.]
[Used? What are you talking about?]
It was a familiar voice, but off just enough to raise suspicion.
Still, Magia knew instantly who it was—her ear trained like a bloodhound.
It was the one who’d taken on the name Kim Cheol-soo, returning to the battlefield to truly end it all.
[There’s someone else behind all this. The one who pulled you into Red Hood. Am I wrong?]
But Darami wasn’t swayed.
She laughed maniacally for a while.
Then coughed violently.
And finally, she spoke.
[What are you talking about? I wasn’t pulled into Red Hood.]
She said it with absolute certainty.
[I chose, with my own hands, to become Red Hood.]
— HOLYYYYYYYY
— UNREAL CHARACTER
— KYYYYAAAAAAA
— D A R A M I
— Queen of the Grind Arc
[Sure, at first I got dragged around. I got forced into stuff I didn’t want to do. But then—!]
Darami pulled a bomb from her inventory.
[I realized I enjoyed it. That’s the kind of person I was from the start!]
[Put that down! You have to live! You must stand trial in Blitz City!!]
[Blitz City———!!]
And with those final words—
Darami hit the detonator strapped to her chest.
[You’ll never forget me.]
A deafening blast followed.
Though for someone who shook the entire city to its core… it was a surprisingly quiet end.