Hero Association Headquarters!
It was a building spanning a height of 500 metres, a concrete behemoth that occupied a land area of ten square kilometres. Currently, there was a flurry of activity within it as personnel prepared for the invasion.
At the topmost floor of the building sat a group, the board of directors that decided on the course of the Hero Association's progress, all S-Class Heroes that had retired from duty and had taken up administrative positions.
There were a total of 16 Board of Directors seated here, all emanating a suffocating presence, figuratively and literally. At one end sat an old man in his eighties, his eyes closed as he seemed to be meditating.
But his ears continued to twitch and focus on the discussions of the directors around him. At this moment, the door was opened slowly as a staff entered, announcing, "Two Invaders have attacked the Nampur Hero Academy. Earth Star has been dispatched to the location. No casualties reported until now."
"If it's Earth Star, we needn't worry." One of the directors said before focusing on the old man that seemed to be the representative of them all, "As I was saying, it's suicide to prepone our invasion by six months. Hurrying up such a scale of operation made our preparations lacking."
The one speaking against the invasion was the retired Hero, Grass Weaver. He had a conservative outlook on things, seeking to first strengthen their defence to the limit before mounting an invasion.
"By the we finish our preparations, the Invaders would have gained all intelligence regarding our strength." A snort resounded from the board of director seated opposite, "In the past, dispatching A-Class Heroes was enough to take care of things but now, we even had to send Earth Star. Six months later, anyone below the Ranger Troupe would prove useless against these Invaders."
The one speaking opposite was the retired Hero, Lion's Share, one that took a militaristic approach to things and had advocated the invasion the most. He also held the record of killing the highest number of the Contained Villain's fragments.
"Sir, who are you?" Suddenly, the old man spoke in a strange voice, alerting everyone. He was the Director Representative, the one that headed the Hero Association, and was also the sole individual with a direct contact to the Genesis Hero.
It could be said that he was the strongest Hero after the Genesis Hero, one of the leading figures that united and stabilised the world during the age of chaos.
Usually, he was aware of everything, never caught off-guard for decades now. But when his tone expressed surprise, the rest of the board of directors became alerted, expanding their senses to notice two individuals standing behind Platinum Head.
"You…who are you?" Compass Carburettor frowned in confusion, staring at the old man that his watch was pointing at, "You're not Stencil."
"Stencil…" Platinum Head nodded as he turned around to stare at Compass Carburettor, "You look different from what I was told."
He then nodded at Earth Star, "Good work dispatching the two Invaders."
Upon noticing that Compass Carburettor maintained his silence, Platinum Head stood up from his seat and addressed the board of directors, "Continue your discussion. I need to talk with this gentleman in private."
"Someone unknown dares to invade the Hero Association Headquarters and you want us to look the other way?" Lion's Share got up and glared at Compass Carburettor, "Circumstances be damned. We acted oblivious once before, and the Invaders took advantage to penetrate our world. So,"
He glared at Compass Carburettor with killing intent, "Who the heck are you?"
"The Contained Villain!" Platinum Head announced solemnly, watching the atmosphere freeze in response.
'He's the Contained Villain?' Earth Star eyed Compass Carburettor, wondering, 'Is that why I couldn't see the depth of his strength? But, if he's the infamous villain, I wonder why he protected the students there.'
'Dammit!' Lion's Share became stunned, for a moment his body rooted to the spot in fear before he overcame it through sheer willpower, 'Lady Genesis is already stressed as is, facing the Contained Villain in this situation would take a greater toll on her. No, even if I have to sacrifice my life, I'll kill him!'
"Stand down, you're not my enemy." Compass Carburettor tapped Lion's Share from behind him, alarming the other party who tried to resist but despite that, his body failed to budge.
'H-How is this possible?' Lion's Share was alarmed, noticing that Compass Carburettor was only casually pressing him on the shoulder, but despite that, he wasn't able to exert any strength.
"Stand down, Lion's Share. You're not strong enough to face him. Besides, he's not our enemy." Platinum Head said before motioning for Compass Carburettor to follow him as the two left the meeting room.
The moment they left, Lion's Share was able to move, hurriedly appearing before Earth Star to ask in a fluster, "What the heck were you doing to bring him here?"
"I didn't," Earth Star said before pointing at his dragon plushie, "Besides, even this guy failed to sense the Contained Villain's strength. I only came to know when Platinum Head declared."
"Besides," Earth Star's voice turned serious, "I have something to tell everyone. I obtained this information from an Invader thanks to the Contained Villain. But hear it out."
…
"So, who actually are you? Why did I find you when I was searching for Stencil?" Compass Carburettor asked once they exited the meeting room, frowning as he glanced at the wrist watch, 'Why did it point at him? It was supposed to point towards a collective consciousness.'
"I believe the cause is this," Saying so, Platinum Head took out a small plate that expanded to become a dragon plushie, "The Genesis Hero called this a collective consciousness. I believe you"
"This is a collective consciousness?" Compass Carburettor frowned, inferring a couple of seconds later that the opponent was saying the truth, "Hmm, Earth Star too had one…"
"That isn't an original." Platinum Head said, "The one with me is the original. It is imbued with the power to make clones of itself. And Heroes of the Ranger Troupe are equipped with them to ward off any danger brought about by the Invaders."
"So, where's she?" Compass Carburettor asked before staring at the old man, "And how much do you know?"
"I only know what I've been told. But, I believe I know more than everyone else, Sir Compass." Saying so, Platinum Head opened a large sealed door, pointing inside, "The Genesis Hero is inside."
