The Hero is Hunting me!-Chapter 78: When Light Surpassed the Sky

Lightnova continued to push with all her strength, forcing the massive fireball toward outer space.

However, her effort only managed to move it slightly.

"U-ugh..."

Her entire body was drenched in sweat.

The gloves on her hands slowly began to tear apart under the pressure.

From a distance, I watched her struggle.

...Maybe I went a little too far on her.

Alright then.

I decided to give her a bit of relief.

I raised my other hand and directed my power toward the massive fireball, subtly interfering with its gravity and momentum.

Lightnova was still struggling, her breathing uneven from the continuous exertion.

But then—

She felt it.

The fireball... felt lighter.

Her eyes widened in shock.

She didn’t waste a second.

She pushed again.

This time, the fireball was clearly moving backward.

Slowly—but far better than before.

Lightnova immediately poured even more power into her legs.

The light erupting from them grew brighter and stronger, giving her additional thrust.

With that, she managed to push the massive fireball at a much faster pace.

She drove it upward, past the clouds.

Her teeth were clenched hard as she forced it higher.

Sweat streamed down her face.

The massive fireball continued to rise—

Breaking through the atmosphere and entering outer space.

With all her remaining strength, Lightnova formed massive light tethers, wrapping them around the fireball.

She spun it around in space, using centrifugal force.

Her eyes scanned her surroundings.

Searching.

Then she spotted it.

The meteor.

Her gaze locked onto the massive rock hurtling through space toward Earth.

Lightnova spun the fireball even harder, then hurled it straight at the meteor.

The massive fireball shot forward at terrifying speed—

And collided directly with the meteor.

A colossal explosion erupted.

A shockwave burst outward, slamming into Lightnova.

Yet she remained still, floating in space, staring at the aftermath.

Her face was soaked in sweat.

Only then did she realize something.

She was in space.

She couldn’t breathe.

Her eyes widened as panic surged through her.

She immediately turned toward Earth, transformed into golden light, and dove downward at extreme speed.

From afar, I watched the entire scene.

"...Wow. That explosion was incredible."

But then—

I saw it.

A streak of golden light was rapidly approaching my position.

I glanced at Min-seo and So-ah.

They were clearly exhausted.

Neither of them was in any condition to fight anymore.

I snapped my fingers.

In an instant, Min-seo and So-ah were teleported back home.

It was too dangerous for them to stay here in their current condition.

I turned back toward the incoming light.

Yeah...

She was trying to kill me in a single hit.

Looks like I really pissed her off.

I leapt backward.

The golden light slammed into the building I had been standing on.

The structure shook violently—

And collapsed instantly.

"Whoa! Calm down, Miss Lightnova."

Lightnova’s fist was clenched tightly.

She reverted back to her human form midair.

Her power had truly skyrocketed.

With just a single punch, an entire skyscraper had been reduced to rubble.

She glared at me intensely, her eyes burning with anger.

Then she charged at me at blinding speed.

Her fist shot toward my face—

I barely dodged it.

That would have been fatal if it had connected.

As her punch missed, she twisted her body in midair and swung her leg down toward my head.

Seeing that, I immediately channeled my power into my arms.

I blocked her kick head-on.

"Ugh—!"

Even with my power reinforcing my body, I was still pushed backward.

"Incredible... Miss Lightnova."

"Tch!"

She used her other leg and kicked again.

I blocked it with both arms this time—

But I was still sent flying.

My body slammed into the ground hard.

I landed on my feet, but the ground beneath me cracked.

I could feel immense pressure surging through my legs.

My knees trembled.

...Damn.

I can’t keep this up.

Her power has increased far too much.

Lightnova lunged at me again from the air.

She attacked relentlessly.

Punch after punch.

Kick after kick.

I blocked and deflected as best as I could, but it was obvious—

If this continued, my stamina would run out before hers.

"Alright, alright! You win this time!"

At those words, she stopped.

Seeing that opening, I immediately stepped back.

I let out a long breath.

Thank goodness she listened.

If she hadn’t, I’d probably be minced meat by now.

Then—

I heard her voice.

It was quiet.

"...What do you think...?"

"Huh?"

"...W-what do you think...?"

Her voice was too soft.

I couldn’t hear it clearly.

"Uhm... whatever you said, I’m sure you’re right."

I brushed the dust off my clothes.

Then I spoke again.

"Well then, until next time, Miss Lightnova!"

With that, I teleported away.

Lightnova froze.

She reached out her hand toward where Indigo had just been—

As if she didn’t want him to leave so quickly.

"...I wanted you to praise me..."

"You’re really annoying..."

She looked down at her hand.

"...But thanks to him... my power feels four times stronger."

"For some reason... it always feels like he’s helping me grow..."

Her earpiece beeped.

"Ji-hye, excellent work. You successfully neutralized the massive fireball along with the meteor. You may return now."

Ji-hye opened her mouth.

"Yes, Director..."

Lightnova’s face showed slight disappointment that Indigo had left so quickly without praising her—

But she shook those thoughts away.

She transformed back into golden light and headed toward headquarters.

*Yoo Jinhoo’s House*

After teleporting back, I immediately changed my clothes and collapsed onto my favorite sofa.

I leaned my head back.

"Ugh... that was exhausting..."

"Creating a fireball that big is even more exhausting—especially one the size of an entire city."

So-ah replied.

She had just finished showering, a white towel draped around her neck.

I glanced at her.

"But didn’t you feel your limit expand a bit?"

She nodded slightly.

"...Yeah. Even so... it was still exhausting."

I chuckled.

She wasn’t wrong.

Creating something on that scale was absurd.

It drained nearly all her energy.

"Where’s Min-seo?"

"She’s taking a shower. She said she’s annoyed because Oppa suddenly teleported her back—she still wanted to fight."

Hearing that, I smiled awkwardly.

She was already exhausted—

Yet she still wanted to fight Lightnova, whose power now even surpassed mine.

...Those girls were seriously insane.

But—

That insanity might be exactly what they needed to grow stronger.