Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: A Tumultuous Date with a Beastkin and a Demon (9)
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The dormant Tesseract had awakened, and the Invader's machinations were thwarted.
Even Answer, who seemed beyond saving, was now fine.
In a way, it was a string of outcomes that couldn't have been better.
It was only natural for the tension I'd been holding onto so tightly to finally release.
But when the still-unconscious Answer collapsed limply, and I managed to catch her just before she hit the ground, reality belatedly came crashing back.
*...It's not time to relax just yet. The real challenge starts now.*
Come to think of it, a mountain of unresolved problems remained.
The biggest one was the need to get out of here quickly before the police caught us.
I could be mistaken for the culprit behind this whole incident, and getting caught using psychokinesis would cause a huge uproar. Even if I surrendered peacefully, being discovered without an identity would be extremely problematic.
Therefore, avoiding the police was the best course of action... but thanks to the contracts Answer had scattered everywhere, they would have the place completely surrounded, with no escape routes. Breaking through their cordon would be a difficult task from the start.
*And then there's the question of whether to leave Answer behind or take her with me.*
From what I overheard on the police radios, Answer had already been identified as a suspect in the case.
That meant if I just took her and ran, we would likely be pursued relentlessly.
Once targeted, the chase might not end until we left Nighthaven.
But leaving Answer behind... the sheer scale of the incident weighed on my mind.
An entire subway station shut down, and all trains in the area halted?
Just estimating the financial damages was enough to make my head spin.
In the end, she was just an innocent victim who had been manipulated; someone else was the real perpetrator.
She might end up taking the blame for everything.
*Aargh! My head hurts! What am I supposed to do?! I don't know!*
I held the collapsing Answer up with psychokinesis, clutching my head against a splitting headache.
Time was running out. The contracts Answer had spread must have already lost their effect.
But I couldn't just make a rash decision; the feeling that neither option was the right one tormented me.
Ah, if only I had some magical item that could solve all my problems right now!
With that thought, I looked at the Tesseract rolling around in my palm.
Hmm, using the Tesseract to resolve the situation now felt a bit tricky.
Setting aside the fact that I had nothing to offer as payment, the Tesseract wasn't an omnipotent wish-granting device in the first place.
*The Tesseract is merely a tool that forcibly draws out an individual's latent potential. While it could easily create a possibility where Answer and I were unharmed... it probably wouldn't be much help right now.*
This won't work, that won't work. Then what am I supposed to do?!
After wavering for a while, I slapped both my cheeks to get a grip.
First, escape. Think later.
Feeling the sting rise from my cheeks, I decided to get out of there.
If things get messy, they get messy. It'll work out somehow!
*Thump, thump, thump...*
"..."
The sound of the ground rumbling came from a fair distance away.
It seemed the police, whose entry had been blocked, were finally making their way inside.
I probably had about two minutes, give or take.
I had to magically escape this place in that short amount of time. Was it even possible?
*Huh, wait a minute. What if I... do this...*
Just then, as I scanned my surroundings, a flash of inspiration struck me.
What was the biggest problem right now?
That it was impossible to escape this cramped subway tunnel without being seen.
So, if I could just avoid being seen myself, more than half the problem would be solved, right?
"!"
With a not-so-bad idea in mind, I stomped my foot hard on the ground.
Then, I extended my psychokinesis through my toes and gripped the material on the ground.
What I grabbed was the ballast—the gravel under the tracks that reduces noise, absorbs shock, and provides a stable foundation.
Was it because the Invader fragment had filled me with more power than usual?
The weight of the gravel I lifted reached a staggering two tons.
*And then... I'll mold it like this!*
The gravel rose into the air at my will, beginning to clump together like clay in front of me.
In an instant, the shape was molded into a single giant.
If I had to give it a name, I guess it would be a Gravel Golem?
I immediately climbed onto the completed giant with Answer, placed her on its palm, and then inserted myself into the golem's body.
The gravel was dusty and dirty... but the tablecloth I was wearing would take the brunt of it, so I didn't have to worry.
*Alright, let's go. Back the way we came!*
*Thump! Thump!*
Controlled by my psychokinesis, the Gravel Golem began to run dynamically along the tracks.
Though hastily made, its joints seemed to be working properly, allowing me to traverse the subway tunnel at a considerable speed.
"C-C-Captain! There's something strange here...!"
"R-Requesting backup! A strange monster has suddenly appeared on the tracks! Aaargh!"
"How is it so strong...!"
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
My painstakingly crafted Gravel Golem No. 1 smashed through everything in its path.
Of course, a full-force collision with a nearly two-ton golem would turn anyone into pulp, so I was subtly pushing them aside with psychokinesis.
Perhaps thanks to its massive three-meter frame and its unstoppable, fearsome momentum...
The police unit entering the tunnel was utterly helpless as I broke through them. The element of surprise was certainly effective.
But perhaps because they had been well-prepared for entry...
I felt an ominous presence behind me as I charged forward.
"Everyone, get out of the way! Procella!"
*CRASH!*
A storm shot forward with enough force to pierce the subway tunnel, rushing toward me in an instant.
It was a blast of absurd destructive power that would have blown away half the Gravel Golem's body on a direct hit.
Magic really is terrifying. The power was enough to send a chill down my spine.
Still, I wasn't worried. I was currently running at full speed on the tracks...
which meant I could use the gravel beneath them as I pleased!
*Block it!*
The moment the Gravel Golem kicked off the ground, I used my psychokinesis to lift the ballast from under the tracks.
In an instant, a gravel wall several meters thick materialized in the air.
The gravel wall rotated in the opposite direction of the swirling storm, neutralizing its destructive force.
The fearsome storm magic ground through the thick gravel wall and dissipated into the air.
"W-What the..."
"The captain's magic!"
Did they not expect their prepared spell to be blocked so easily?
After that, their formation completely collapsed, and the police were unable to stop the tank-like Gravel Golem.
Once the cordon was breached, it was a straight shot.
I dashed down the empty tracks, now clear of trains, and reached the outside in no time.
*I-I broke through...! I really just took a crazy gamble... and it worked.*
My Gravel Golem was an unstoppable tank by normal standards, but frankly, someone like Alice could have sliced it in half like a common mob.
Thankfully, they had spread their cordon wide, creating a relatively weak spot. I had to consider that a stroke of luck.
But someone might wonder: if I had to hide my identity, why was I rampaging like this?
Of course, this too was part of a carefully considered plan.
Let's think. I was worried about two main things.
My identity being exposed, forcing me to become a fugitive in the city.
And this whole incident being seen as something Answer did on her own.
Rampaging openly with the Gravel Golem was the only way to solve both problems at once.
As long as I concealed the connection between me and the golem, I could slip away from the cordon naturally.
*No one's watching. Now's my chance!*
As soon as I exited the tunnel, I smoothly rolled out from the golem's rear and hid between nearby buildings.
I continued to control the Gravel Golem even after I left, making it charge forward like a runaway train.
However, my psychokinesis had a weakness: its precision and power diminished with distance.
Thus, controlling the golem as it moved farther away became increasingly difficult.
*Just a little... a little more...*
But if I gave up now, I wouldn't get the outcome I wanted.
Understanding this perfectly, I hid tightly between the buildings, gritting my teeth and maintaining my connection to the golem.
*Please, someone show up!*
As if my desperate plea had reached the heavens, someone stepped forward to block the path of the silently advancing Gravel Golem.
It was none other than the man I'd encountered earlier, Ethan.
"Halt, golem. Surrender peacefully and stop right there."
"..."
"Hoh, so that's how you want to play it? Fine. From now on, you're an accomplice. I'm arresting you on the spot."
Ethan smirked as he faced the Gravel Golem, which ignored his words and continued down the tracks, holding Answer.
He then drew a common police weapon from his waist—a riot baton.
"This is Ethan, Captain of Special Unit 3. I've encountered an accomplice fleeing with the suspect. Location is in front of the tunnel. I'm moving to subdue immediately. Requesting backup."
*Thump! Thump!*
The Gravel Golem charged menacingly down the tracks toward Ethan.
In this urgent situation, he was about to face the brute force of its mass and could end up in a sorry state!
Yet, even in the midst of it all, Ethan was calmly speaking into his radio.
The moment the Gravel Golem reached him, he swung the baton in his hand upward with all his might.
*CRACK!*
The multi-ton golem was lifted off the ground in an instant.
Then, Ethan gently caught Answer, who had been dropped by the golem and was now airborne.
He spun around and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the golem's abdomen.
The golem flew through the air, off the tracks, and crashed down, crushing an empty patch of ground.
It was an unbelievable display of strength for a single person.
I knew he was strong, but this is on another level. He can actually do that?
"Why do you keep making things so difficult? This is Ethan, Captain of Unit 3. Two suspects secured. Someone, relay this to HQ."
Cradling the limp Answer, Ethan walked steadily toward the fallen golem.
Two suspects, he said.
It seemed he viewed the golem as some kind of metahuman.
That made sense, I suppose.
If it were a golem, there would have been some trace of magic.
A giant that moves on its own without any magic?
Without knowing the full story, it was reasonable to mistake it for some kind of rock giant.
*Now!*
When Ethan reached the Gravel Golem, I released the psychokinetic hold I was barely maintaining.
The golem's form began to crumble from its extremities.
Ethan's eyebrows arched at the strange phenomenon, as if a perfectly solid person were melting away.
"What... is this?"
*Clink.*
A piece of metal fell weakly from within the golem.
It was the Invader fragment that had been embedded in Answer's chest.
Its power was completely gone now, so it would just look like a useless scrap of metal.
But if a lab analyzed it... they'd probably realize it belonged to an Invader.
Then the police would naturally assume this wasn't Answer's crime alone but that someone else was involved. Wouldn't their perception of her shift from criminal to victim?
*If that happens... phew, that would be great.*
Only after confirming that Ethan had collected the Invader fragment did I quietly slip away.
This was the best I could do. The future was now completely out of my hands.
If things went wrong from here, there would be nothing I could do about it.
Snow continued to fall from the sky.
I wondered when this winter would ever end.
Still, thanks to the snow obscuring my figure, I was able to return to the vicinity of the fixer agency without causing any commotion.
"Y-Yuria!"
"..."
Near the agency, in a deserted park, Sabrina was waiting on a bench.
Her ears and nose were bright red as she checked the news on her terminal.
The news reported that the bombs planted in the station had been completely disarmed, and subway service was resuming. So things were wrapped up over there, too.
"H-How did it go?"
"!"
In front of Sabrina, who was asking how things went, I took off the dusty tablecloth, gave a clumsy smile, and carefully raised a thumb.
I guess that's one case solved, right?
Well, that's what I meant, more or less.