CHAPTER 31: TRAPPED

I dodged every strike that came from Zofia.

I still couldn’t believe she was alive—no, that she had been deceiving me this whole time.

When one of her punches nearly grazed my cheek, I flipped backward, putting distance between us.

I switched my power to wind.

A ten-ton pressure burst forward and slammed into Zofia’s body.

She blocked it with her bare chest.

She... wasn’t hurt at all.

Her expression softened into something disturbingly pleased.

"H-hmm... so Kim Gae-in’s power doesn’t work on her..."

I muttered under my breath.

Zofia responded with a sharp, mocking smirk.

"I wonder... what else you’ve copied."

Her smirk curled in a way some men might call seductive, but to me, it was nothing more than a death threat shaped like a smile.

As I moved back, creating more distance, Zofia’s body suddenly began to radiate a thick purple aura.

Her muscles tightened.

Her frame expanded, growing to twice its previous size.

Her voice dropped low and heavy, the kind of sound that shook the entire training room.

"My power: Titanium Growth.

My bones harden, my organs relocate, and my muscles regenerate instantly."

I stared, horrified.

This wasn’t just strength enhancement—this was a full-body evolution.

Damn it... this was going to be far worse than before.

My mind raced, trying to piece together why she was still alive.

As I dodged her next barrage of heavy blows, I finally remembered the detail I had forgotten earlier.

What I fought before wasn’t the real Zofia—it was her doppelgänger.

She had used the same trick in the webtoon to deceive Lightnova.

And the only way to kill her true body was nearly impossible to execute.

Her weak point could only be targeted in the split second before she activated Body Enlargement.

But for me... it was too late.

This was like fighting fate itself.

"Tch..."

I kept dodging, each step heavier than before.

"Oh? What’s wrong? Are you losing your spirit already?"

she taunted, sounding a little too happy to see me suffer.

My energy was almost gone.

I couldn’t keep switching powers.

I couldn’t use teleportation continuously—it drained me too quickly.

Then one of her punches hit me.

My body flew across the room and slammed into the wall, cracks forming behind me.

Zofia grabbed my leg and slammed me into the floor.

The floor cracked.

Then she smashed me into a pillar.

Glass shattered as she hurled me into the window.

She wasn’t trying to kill me.

She was trying to break me.

"Don’t die, Indigo.

Not yet.

You’re fun."

Damn it... to her, I was nothing but a toy she wanted to smash over and over.

Zofia enjoyed every second she swung me around like a ragdoll.

I didn’t get a single chance to counterattack—this was pure, merciless torture.

Blood filled my mouth.

My mask’s interior was wet with it.

Zofia hurled me toward another wall.

Before I hit it, I forced a teleport, crashing to the ground instead.

But the moment I lifted my head, Zofia was already standing in front of me, looking down with amusement.

"Oh, poor little you~"

She stepped on me.

My breath was crushed out of my lungs.

Pain shot through my ribs.

Damn it... I fell straight into her trap.

If only I had remembered sooner... I could’ve saved so much energy.

Instead, I was barely hanging on.

I tried teleporting again—

BRUK!

She pulled me out mid-teleport.

How was she doing that!?

She slammed me into the floor, the impact forcing the air from my lungs.

My consciousness blurred around the edges.

Zofia grabbed my neck and lifted me up like I weighed nothing.

"You’re smaller than I expected,"

she said, her fingers tightening.

My mask nearly cracked under the pressure.

"But I like the eyes behind that mask. Predators recognize each other."

She dropped me, then stomped on me again.

The ground beneath us cracked.

I could feel my bones threatening to shatter.

I blacked out for a moment.

Zofia immediately noticed.

She sat on top of me, pinning me down with a dominating posture.

"I’m not going to kill you.

I want to know why you came for me...

And why your presence excites me so much."

A chill crawled up my spine.

I couldn’t move.

Her weight, her strength—it was impossible to force her off.

My energy was almost gone.

Only one teleport remained.

"Stay like this...

I’ll take very, very good care of you~"

No she wouldn’t.

She’d crush me.

She’d use me as a training dummy until there was nothing left.

I forced myself to gather what little energy I could.

When I finally had enough for a single burst—

I switched to wind.

A thirty-ton pressure blast erupted.

Zofia was thrown off me.

I teleported out of the mansion immediately.

Outside, I used my original power.

A dark blue light gathered in my hand—

This time larger, stronger—

And fired straight into the mansion.

The entire structure collapsed, burying the underground training room in rubble.

It wouldn’t kill Zofia, but she’d be trapped for a little while.

Enough time for me to escape.

I staggered into the forest, every breath painful.

*On Zofia’s side*

"Hmmm~ clever."

She dusted off her shoulder as the rubble shifted.

"But next time... I’ll break your legs so you can’t run from me again~"

She pulled her phone from her pocket and called the police department.

Of course she did.

She didn’t want another Hero showing up to capture Indigo.

She wanted me alive—for herself.

*Back to Indigo*

I walked deeper into the forest, my lungs burning, my ribs screaming.

I removed my half-broken mask and leaned against a tree.

"Hah... hah... I was tricked... that damn woman... I almost died."

Blood dripped from my lips as I coughed again.

My organs were close to giving out after the beating she gave me.

Fighting an SS-rank... it was pretty much impossible for someone like me right now.

I pulled my phone out.

The screen was shattered.

It wouldn’t turn on.

Great.

Just great.

More pathetic than the fight against the monster V yesterday.

I was completely destroyed.

I set the broken phone on the ground and reached into my pocket for my earpiece.

Thank god—it wasn’t damaged.

I slipped it on.

"U-ugh... Lee Donghyun... are you there?"

[Ah! Yes, hyung! I can hear you! But why do you sound so weak!?]

"...Pick me up in Poland... use the earpiece’s coordinate signal..."

[What!? That’s incredibly far. If I go pick you up myself, it’ll take way too long...]

"...Send Kim Gae-in... So-ah... and Min-seo... Just let them come get me..."

[Are you sure, hyung? You told me earlier to keep this mission hidden from them.]

"It’s fine... I can’t teleport anymore.

I’m at my limit.

It’ll take too long to recover."

[...Alright... I’ll contact them.]

I removed the earpiece and shoved it back into my pocket.

"Hah... it’s hard... to breathe..."

Then I heard footsteps.

Many footsteps.

I peeked through the bushes.

Police officers.

Dozens of them.

Fully armed with assault rifles and flashlights.

"Damn it... this must be Zofia’s doing."

I had no choice.

I needed to fight and stall for time until backup arrived.

From Korea to Poland—Even with superpowers, it wasn’t instant.

I stood up and put my cracked mask back on.

When I stepped out, the officers immediately aimed their weapons.

"Freeze!"

I raised my hands slowly.

"I surrender..."

I walked toward them.

"Stop right there!"

one shouted again.

I ignored them.

Once I was close enough, I kicked one officer under the chin and grabbed his assault rifle.

I leaped behind the trees as bullets rained down.

I fired two shots—both hit their targets.

Two officers dropped dead.

More spread out and opened fire.

Their bullets tore through the forest, shredding branches.

A tree toppled dangerously close to me.

I rolled away and returned fire, taking down four more officers.

I kept moving, firing only when necessary.

Eight more fell.

But then more police arrived—fully armored, SWAT-like units.

"Tch... they just keep coming."

I ducked behind a fallen officer’s cover and grabbed his ammo.

After reloading, I shot again.

The new officers scattered, returning fire aggressively.

Another wave arrived.

Bullets tore through the tree shielding me.

I jumped behind another.

Four more dropped.

Then three officers rushed me with batons and shields.

I shot them all.

My ammo ran out.

I grabbed a fallen officer’s knife and hurled it—straight into another officer’s skull.

The one beside him staggered in shock.

I sprinted toward him, kicked him in the throat, yanked the knife free from the other corpse, and stabbed the second officer in the head.

More arrived.

And more.

"Ugh... How many of them ARE there!?"

Then—

A massive bolt of lightning crashed down, incinerating the police swarming the area.

I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Min-seo.

She landed on the ground, sparks dancing around her.

I lowered the rifle, my strength gone.

My legs gave out as consciousness slipped away.

I collapsed, and Min-seo caught me before I hit the ground.

"...Next time, don’t act alone.

You’re still human... you need help too..."