A high-end vehicle pulled out of the Evilus building. The moment the sunlight hit its sleek, tinted windows—glass that was previously semi-transparent—the tint instantly darkened to pitch black. An advanced technology that allowed real-time adjustment of the window’s opacity.
However, from a distance, Mr. Clear had been watching the building carefully. And in that brief instant when the tinting adjusted—a fraction of a second—he caught a glimpse of the interior through a gap caused by the driver’s mistake.
That’s definitely... the scientist from the evil organization, Mr. Satan, and two unfamiliar faces. I see. They plan to use him as an experiment.
Mr. Clear had been observing Satan’s defeat at the hands of Evilus from afar. He could have intervened at any moment and turned the tide effortlessly, yet he remained hidden.
Because he couldn’t be sure.
He didn’t know if the scientist responsible for the nuclear weapon was inside that building or not.
The nuclear bomb. That damned nuclear bomb. The seed of humanity’s destruction.
If the scientist who created it had already uploaded the schematics online? If he had set up a failsafe that would release the information upon his death?
Then humanity would gain an ability equivalent to his own.
For Mr. Clear, who took immense pride in his unique power, such a notion was a grave insult. More than that, it would be a direct violation of his duty as a Guardian.
Because the extinction of humanity would be inevitable.
Imagine if every nation had someone like him. There was no doubt—greedy humans would use that power without hesitation.
He could’ve lived if he had just stayed hidden in the city... but he chose to crawl out?
Defeating Mr. Powerful, Mr. Rays, and now Satan had clearly gone to his head.
Then again—had he ever truly fought Mr. Clear at full strength?
Even if Satan had been forced to spew flattery after his defeat, it wouldn’t be surprising.
But the real problem was this:
Even with those three at his side—even with that strange robot that had subdued Satan—
Beating Mr. Clear was impossible.
Smiling, Mr. Clear followed the vehicle as it drove away in the distance.
He had a feeling things might go much smoother than expected.
...Though he failed to realize one simple truth:
Every fish that bites the bait always believes the same thing.
*****
A research facility stood in the middle of the desert. It had been built as a decoy, a mere bait to lure the target in—yet despite its temporary purpose, all the essential equipment was in place.
Leaving the interior completely empty, even for a fake lab, was something my scientific soul simply couldn’t tolerate. Or at least, that was the excuse. In truth, since it wasn’t my money, I had indulged a little. Every struggling graduate student dreams of spending recklessly when given the chance.
"Peacemakers, patrol the perimeter. Eliminate any intruders."
[Understood.]
I deliberately sent the Peacemakers outside the facility, forbidding them from using their signature non-real stealth mode. The purpose was to let Mr. Clear see them.
From what I had gathered so far, Mr. Clear didn’t seem like the type to launch a sneaky ambush. His power was like the sun. And the sun does not hide. You cannot conceal something so vast, so radiant.
"What the hell? Why are you sending them all out?"
"Because they’re useful."
"Don’t tell me you actually think those things can fight Mr. Clear?"
Still sore from the beating he had taken from the robots, Mr. Satan scoffed. He shook his head, unconvinced that mere machines could be of any use.
"I mean, sure, we lost because we fought them up close—but Mr. Clear doesn’t fight like that. He’s a coward. He’ll just stay at a distance and use his ability before running off. Those things won’t work against him."
"I know."
"Then why send them out? Wasting resources for fun?"
"You can’t catch a fish without bait."
"Bait? I told you, that won’t work on—"
And in that instant—
A massive tremor shook the research facility.
Satan, despite his usual attitude, instinctively moved to shield me. His resolve to keep his promise was evident. ...Unlike my two subordinates, who simply stood there, watching.
"Shit... He’s here..."
Satan’s voice echoed in the background as I checked the external cameras. The screen flickered with static—most of the feeds had gone completely black.
The Peacemakers I had deployed outside? Their cameras were down as well.
Except for one.
A single remaining camera captured the image of a man stepping into view. He moved with deliberate slowness, dragging something in his grasp.
A ruined Peacemaker.
He lifted the massive, broken machine with one hand, turned to face the camera—
And spoke.
[Did you really think toys like these could stop me?]
Mr. Clear.
The moment I saw his face, I knew.
That tremor from earlier—it had been caused by his power. A nuclear detonation.
And from that, I learned something else:
He had remarkable control over his ability.
A few thousand degrees alone wouldn’t be enough to melt a Peacemaker’s armor...
A nuclear explosion’s core temperature reaches 150 million degrees. But that’s only momentary. Even a slight distance from ground zero, the heat plummets to just 8,000 degrees—a level that, while capable of incinerating all known natural materials and organisms, should not have been enough to disable Earth’s most advanced tactical weapon.
Yet Mr. Clear had rendered three Peacemakers inoperable with a single blast.
That meant—he could sustain the core temperature.
In other words, he wasn’t just wielding a nuclear explosion. He was carrying a 150-million-degree weapon in his hands.
With that level of control, melting an entire planet wouldn’t be out of the question.
Of course, he’s probably not at that level... but this is worse than I thought.
Another detail stood out—despite unleashing a nuclear blast, the Geiger counters remained silent.
As expected, Mr. Clear’s power generated a radiation-free nuclear explosion.
Just like the nuclear weapon I had developed.
[If you think leading me into a confined space will give you an advantage, you’d best abandon that idea.]
Crack!
Mr. Clear shattered the camera with a casual flick of his wrist.
Inside the facility, the three warriors surrounding me turned deathly pale.
Moments ago, they had confidently claimed that the three of them could neutralize Mr. Clear with ease. Now, faced with the reality of his power, they seemed far less sure.
Not that I blamed them.
Their abilities were practically useless against Mr. Clear.
Even if Mr. Powerful’s ability allowed him to exceed the strength of a nuclear bomb, what good was that against an actual nuclear bomb?
Even if Mr. Rays could suppress an opponent’s output, it wouldn’t change anything—limiting a star’s brightness doesn’t extinguish the star.
Mr. Satan’s ability to weaken his enemies might prove useful... but there was a limit to that as well.
Even if a Tsar Bomba were weakened to the level of a Little Boy, it wouldn’t matter.
A few kilotons or a few megatons—it was still more than enough to kill a person.
"What are you all standing around for? He’s coming."
"...No, hold on. That thing—those robots—I lost to them. How did he destroy them so easily?"
"Because they were unilaterally attacked, and I had restricted their functions? That aside, impressive is impressive."
Satan had managed to beat a single Peacemaker in a fight.
There was no reason to think Mr. Clear couldn’t take down more than that.
But even if he wielded the power of nuclear fusion itself, and even if using that power in a confined space would be difficult, there was no way we would lose.
If his goal had simply been to kill me, he could have just detonated a nuclear explosion in E-City and been done with it.
But he hadn’t.
That was his mistake.
You’ve already lost, Mr. Clear.
As the three Guardians nervously positioned themselves around me, distant footsteps echoed across the desert.
They swallowed hard, sweat dripping down their faces.
Preparing to use their abilities at a moment’s notice—
Waiting for the battle to begin.
*****
Mr. Clear entered the research facility without hesitation. He had just effortlessly destroyed the Peacemakers, and now, he stepped inside, moving toward Eight’s location.
He knew there would be traps.
But what did it matter?
No trap could withstand his power. Whatever lay ahead, he would incinerate it in an instant with the force of a sun.
"—Scientist of Evilus."
"You must be Mr. Clear?"
It didn’t take long for him to reach Eight. The scientist stood at the center of the facility, flanked by Mr. Satan and two unfamiliar young figures.
Mr. Clear’s gaze swept across the room. It was empty—completely devoid of additional personnel.
Suspicious.
Was he planning to self-destruct?
If so, that would be a fatal miscalculation.
Mr. Clear hadn’t tracked him all this way just to kill him.
No—his goal was to eradicate his knowledge.
There could be no remnants. No schematics, no research, no way for nuclear weapons to spread.
"Oh, don’t worry. I’m not planning to blow myself up."
"...Is that so?"
"In fact, quite the opposite."
Mr. Clear narrowed his eyes.
Eight grinned.
"I’m going to beat you down and present you to my boss as a gift."
That smile—was he insane?
Some humans, when confronted with an overwhelming force, lost their grip on reality.
If he had gone mad, then this would be even easier.
Mr. Clear activated his ability.
A force as bright as the sun, an energy that could incinerate all things, surged from his palm—
Or at least, it should have.
But nothing happened.
“...What?”
Mr. Clear stared at his hand.
Impossible.
His power still roiled within him, pulsing like an unstoppable force—yet for some reason, it refused to manifest.
Eight exhaled in relief.
"Ah—so it was nuclear fusion. Good. That makes things simple."
"...What did you do?"
"I already knew the basics of your ability. You didn’t think I’d come unprepared, did you?"
Eight shrugged casually.
"I’ve sealed nuclear fission and fusion in this area."
"Nuclear... fusion?" Mr. Clear's voice was incredulous. "What nonsense—this is my power! A divine gift from the Creator!"
"Sure, sure. And that divine gift happens to be nuclear fusion, you idiot."
Nuclear weapons had once been considered the pinnacle of destructive technology.
That was until this technology had rendered them obsolete.
A system that could forbid nuclear fission and fusion within a set area.
Terrorist organizations that had once relied on nuclear backpacks for asymmetric warfare had been completely wiped out. With their easiest source of power neutralized, they had lost all leverage.
And now, that same principle had rendered Mr. Clear harmless.
"—Alright then."
Eight clapped his hands together.
"Fair fight. Three against one. Go get him, Mr. Satan!"
"Hah! Hahaha! That’s right! Three-on-one? No way we’re losing this!"
"Been a while since I’ve thrown a justice punch."
"...Yeah. That guy was annoying anyway."
Leading the charge, Mr. Satan rushed forward.
Behind him, Mr. Powerful and Mr. Rays followed.
Seeing them charge, Mr. Clear gritted his teeth.
"This is not a fair—"
But justice never waits for evil’s complaints.
And the first punch had already been thrown.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.