Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Surviving the Sky Garden (9)
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The psychokinesis I wielded didn't actually require a very complex sense.
You could say it was like extending an invisible, transparent hand from my body to grab an object.
Of course, it was less like a hand and more like a shapeless slime.
I was just using that as a rough explanation to help with understanding.
Anyway, because of this, my psychokinesis inevitably had limits to its range and speed.
To grab a distant object, I had to send my power far away.
And when I did, my control and precision would unavoidably decrease.
It was like how grabbing something with chopsticks becomes harder the longer they are.
But looking at it from the opposite perspective, it could also be interpreted this way.
The closer my psychokinesis was to me, the more its performance dramatically increased!
“Hiee...! Something suddenly appeared in midair...”
“Ugh, it's pointy and black! It's creepy!”
*Krrrrk!*
It took only about two seconds to create a barrier that enveloped the entire group.
And almost at the same instant the barrier was complete, countless somethings were caught firmly by my psychokinesis.
A quick glance estimated their number to be in the dozens.
What would have happened if I had been even a moment late in deploying the psychokinetic barrier?
Breaking out in a cold sweat internally, I scanned my surroundings to locate the attacker.
Meanwhile, Murmur also seemed to have realized why the objects had stopped in midair.
He showed a surprised reaction, looking quite flustered.
“Th-this is... an attack! Impossible, I would never miss the presence of magic...!”
“...”
This isn't magic?
But they flew at us without a sound, with the intent to kill.
Feeling puzzled, I kept the barrier up just in case.
I used my psychokinesis to bring one of the black masses caught in the air before my eyes.
‘Is this... a thorn?’
It was a black, finger-sized thorn with a vicious shape.
As if to declare its only purpose was to injure people.
It was bumpy all over, yet its tip was astonishingly sharp.
On top of that, its surface was sticky, as if it had been soaked in some contaminated substance.
The thought of what would have happened if I hadn't intuitively put up the barrier was dizzying.
‘Something this irregularly shaped can't be used as a bullet. That's why I thought it was magic... Then what is it? It was definitely moving at near-supersonic speed.’
A surprise attack that was clearly neither magic nor science.
There was a sense of dissonance in that familiar echo.
Could there possibly be another psychic besides me in this Sky Garden?
Thinking this, I bit my lip with a rather serious expression.
The current lineup of characters was already so spectacular it was overwhelming.
If an invader were to be mixed in, it was hard to even imagine the consequences.
But was something about to tell me this worry was unfounded?
Suddenly, about ten paces away, something shot out from the ground.
And it was a monster buried in fur, nearly two meters tall.
“Kekekek! To notice my surprise attack! I heard fairies have special abilities, and it seems that's true! What an interesting race!”
“...”
The furry monster shouted, letting out a creepy laugh.
Was it a mole-type beastman? Its body was caked in dirt, looking quite filthy.
...But why would it brazenly reveal itself and admit to the attack?
Still, it was a relief that I wouldn't have to search for the culprit this time.
Had Murmur also grasped the situation in that short moment?
He shouted at the furry monster, enraged that his kind had been attacked.
“You... Who are you!”
“Keheheh! A fine question! I am a modified human created by the great Lady Olvis! Through alchemy, every bone and piece of flesh has reached the pinnacle of life, a newcomer to the Seven Extremes' Royal Guard... Gelschp! I was ordered by Lady Olvis to bring her the corpses of fairies! Kekekek! To find so many fairies in one place, I truly am a lucky one!”
Gelschp, whose face was hidden by fur, revealed his sharp claws and drooled.
Thanks to our consistent fairy rescue efforts, there were over ten fairies with us.
For someone searching for fairies, there could be no better opportunity.
By the way, he did just say he was from the Seven Extremes' Royal Guard.
In that case, despite his appearance, he was not an opponent to be underestimated.
At the apex of the Metahuman Liberation Army is the Commander-in-Chief. And if there are seven top executives who follow him, the Seven Extremes...
...then below the Seven Extremes exist their loyal retainers, the Seven Extremes' Royal Guard.
While their individual skills might vary, on average, they were at the top tier of Triple-Number Fixers.
Like the sisters Vita and Verita whom I'd met before, their skills were likely the real deal.
‘And if he's a modified human created through alchemy... I have a good idea what those thorns that flew at near-bullet speed were.’
I couldn't help but chuckle at Gelschp's long, tedious monologue that was almost painful to listen to.
To think he would explain everything about himself so thoroughly.
I felt so grateful I could almost cry.
However, Murmur seemed to think differently from my rather calm self.
He looked rather agitated, as if confronting an annoying insect.
“The Seven Extremes... You mean all of this is the work of those Metahuman Liberation Army bastards!”
“Gek? Tsk tsk, I've slipped up again. Well, no matter! You're all going to become corpses here anyway! Gehahak! I'll blow you away, defensive magic and all!”
*Krrrrk!*
Gelschp wrapped his arms around his body.
It was an awkward pose, as if he were hugging himself.
Then, disgustingly, something pitch-black sprouted from between his fur.
What else could it be? The something was the sharp black thorns that had attacked our group.
The source of the silent projectiles was shrapnel fired from Gelschp's modified body.
That must be why Murmur, who was more sensitive to magic than anyone, couldn't even detect it.
“As if I'd let you!”
Of course, when it came to a battle of firepower, we wouldn't be outmatched.
Murmur's magic was powerful enough to slaughter even giant zombies.
A merciless rain of steel formed by magic; not even a Royal Guard member could escape it unscathed.
The problem, however, was that his response was already a beat too late.
While Murmur had to go through two steps—creating his magical weapons and then launching them...
...Gelschp just had to fire the thorns that had already sprouted from his entire body!
Did the fairies clinging to my back notice this fact?
They each reacted according to their personalities, cheering for Murmur who had stepped forward.
“I-I can't watch!”
“Uuuu... It's scary...”
“Go, Murmur!”
They looked like ordinary citizens cheering for a superhero.
In reality, Murmur alone was far stronger than all the other fairies combined.
In a way, it didn't seem like an inaccurate comparison.
Still, even though they were trembling, none of the fairies tried to run away.
It would have been difficult to protect them if they strayed from me. I guess I should be thankful for that.
“H-Hieeek... I-I'll protect Whitey!”
Amidst the chaos, a fairy named Chiruru slipped out of my arms and spread her arms wide.
Her frightened face, with tears welling up in her eyes, was quite cute.
Was she trying to protect me?
The sentiment was admirable, but it didn't seem like she would be of much help.
If anyone was doing the protecting, it should be me. Who was protecting whom?
‘Well... it doesn't matter. It's already over.’
I muttered this inwardly and tapped the ground with the tip of my foot, as if materializing an image.
As if responding to the signal, the psychokinesis I had infiltrated into the ground shot upward.
The psychokinesis then enveloped Gelschp's entire body, gripping the thorns that were about to launch with all its might.
Now, let's imagine.
What would happen if you created a strong wall right in front of a pitcher's hand, just as he was about to release the ball with all his strength?
Since his full-force swing was obstructed, the pitcher's hand would be completely shattered.
But what if it wasn't just at the level of 150 km/h, but closer to the speed of a bullet?
And what if there wasn't just one, but dozens of them?
Well, this is what would happen.
“Gegek? Kuaaaaargh!”
Gelschp, who felt a sudden sense of constriction and wrongness, abruptly burst into blood all over his body.
It was because the force that should have scattered outward had instead exploded inside his body.
Was it similar to a large amount of gunpowder exploding within one's body?
Thus, no matter how great a modified human created by the Seven Extremes he was, he couldn't withstand it.
“Die!”
“K-kieeeeek!”
But the pain that struck Gelschp didn't end there.
Because Murmur's magic, completed a beat later, descended upon him.
A magical weapon so powerful its aftershock alone could gouge out the ground.
For the tattered Gelschp, who couldn't even think of defending himself, it was the final blow that snuffed out his life.
“Gek, ge... I, Gelschp... to end so... emptily...”
Who told you to calmly introduce yourself in front of a psychic?
I shook my head as I watched Gelschp, his fur dyed crimson, utter his last words.
Besides, someone on my or Murmur's level could have taken down a member of the Seven Extremes' Royal Guard alone anyway.
Unless he had managed to take out Murmur, who relied on mana detection, with a surprise attack.
The moment he brazenly revealed himself, Gelschp's defeat was as good as sealed.
“Amazing! He defeated the bad guy in one go!”
“But why did that guy suddenly get so hurt? Did he make a mistake?”
“No, he must have been terrified by Murmur's fearsome magic!”
The fairies, acting as commentators and analysts, whispered among themselves as they looked at the wretched Gelschp.
I couldn't exactly say they were unobservant, since my psychokinesis is invisible.
From their perspective, it must have looked like Gelschp suddenly started bleeding from all over and collapsed.
It's not like I wanted to be praised as amazing, either.
I pulled the bewildered Chiruru back into my arms and prepared to move to our next destination.
However, the quick-witted Murmur seemed to have figured out the cause of the strange event that had befallen Gelschp.
He turned to me and spoke, his tone incredulous.
“...That just now, that was your doing, wasn't it?”
“...?”
“Don't play dumb... Tsk, I guess now's not the time for this.”
I'll make you admit it later!
With that, Murmur snapped the half-dazed fairies back to their senses.
The Sky Garden was full of fairies who needed help.
We couldn't afford to relax until we had secured everyone's safety, at the very least.
“Let's go! You guys, don't fall behind. Got it!”
“Okay!”
“We're counting on you...! Hgyak!”
“Waaaah! Th-the ground is shaking!”
*Ruuuumble!*
But just then, an intense flash of light erupted in the distance, so bright it made me instinctively shut my eyes.
Following that was a meteor shower falling from the sky and a colossal sword aura slicing through it.
It was a dizzying spectacle, as if the end of the world had come.
Even Murmur, who was leading the group, showed a look of utter shock.
‘It's begun... The full-scale battle between the Fixers and the Metahuman Liberation Army...!’
I wonder which will come first: the end of the fight, or the disappearance of the Sky Garden.
Remaining calm, I shook the dazed Murmur's shoulder to bring him back.
There was no way for us to help them from here anyway.
So let's just do what we need to do. That was the rough meaning behind my action.
“U-uh... Thanks.”
“...!”
Steeling my resolve, I quietly gazed toward a distant part of the Sky Garden.
I hope Alice and David don't get hurt before they secure the World Tree Seed.
At this moment, it was my most fervent prayer.