Chapter 81
Chapter 81
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Yuria Repays Her Debt (5)
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*Crash!*
A werewolf, bound tightly with rope, was stuffed headfirst into a trash can.
In that state, even if he woke up, he wouldn't be able to escape on his own.
I'd taken his terminal too, so it was safe to say he was completely out of commission for the night.
That made eleven.
The number of werewolves I had subdued.
*'Phew, I still have plenty of energy left. I've grown a lot.'*
In the past, my control over my psychokinesis would have been starting to waver by now.
To knock out a werewolf, I needed to use immense force to cut off their breathing.
No matter how much they seemed like insignificant grunts, it was a more demanding task than one might think.
But perhaps it was the result of staying in Raven's closet, where the crack is.
My power output, stamina, and range had all seemingly doubled.
I still had plenty of energy, as if I’d just gone for a light jog.
*'But… just how many of them have gathered in this small city? It's amazing they haven't been noticed yet.'*
However, I couldn't let my guard down.
Even after taking down so many, their numbers didn't seem to be dwindling at all.
Just how many troops did they bring?
My worries deepened at the sheer volume of enemies that never seemed to decrease, no matter how many I defeated.
On top of that, I had already been stealthily subduing werewolves for several dozen minutes.
By now, the enemy would have had enough time to notice the attacks.
It would probably be much harder to find werewolves wandering alone or in pairs from now on.
That was terrible news for me, as I needed to clear a path and hurry forward.
*'I need to get to Greg quickly… At this rate, I'll be blocked and won't be able to reach him!'*
There was a reason I wasn't heading straight for my destination and was instead taking a wide detour while subduing werewolves.
Their sense of smell was as keen as a dog's; they could detect presence by scent, even without sound.
What if I just charged ahead without dealing with them and got caught in an encirclement?
Since I couldn't just go on a rampage like Raven, I would have to be prepared to die.
*'While I'm doing this, something irreversible might happen. …This won't do. I need to steel myself.'*
In the end, hesitating without making a decision would lead to no progress.
I took a deep breath to suppress my tension and hardened my resolve.
It was time to admit that moving cautiously had its limits.
I'd taken down this many werewolves; there had to be an opening somewhere.
Feeling the cold wind slip through the gaps in the fabric, I leaped nimbly onto the roof of a building.
*'Echo, I need you to guide me. If you detect a terminal, tell me the direction and distance.'*
[ Yes, yes! ]
*Whoosh!*
The wind blowing on the rooftop was so cold it felt as if it were embedded with tiny blades.
All I could sense was the musty air characteristic of an abandoned slum and the stench of beasts.
Greg must be somewhere out there. The thought surfaced unbidden, further strengthening my resolve.
And into that dead space, devoid of even a single glimmer of light to pierce the darkness, I flung myself without hesitation.
Compared to falling from an airplane, I felt no fear of plummeting.
My psychokinesis was already enveloping me more securely than ever before.
Just before hitting the ground, I shot forward like a cannonball.
It was a speed that was less like flying and more like being thrown.
My frail body, otherwise unremarkable without my powers, creaked and groaned in protest.
[ Master! Four terminals detected, 30 degrees from your direction of travel, 120 meters away! ]
Four enemies to my right. Thanks.
Without a shred of doubt in Echo's information, I registered their positions in my mind.
Then, as if pre-programmed, I came to a screeching halt right in front of them.
"Captain, it's really…!"
"An enemy…!"
"Damn it! Kill…!"
"…"
Perhaps they had been on guard.
They didn't seem flustered by my sudden appearance.
But their reactions were a beat too slow. The initiative was already mine.
I channeled a great deal of psychokinesis into my legs and slammed my foot onto the ground.
The psychic force spread out from my foot, instantly ensnaring the werewolves' entire bodies.
Then, gripping them tightly, I hurled them with all my might toward a wall.
"What is this, I can't resist… Gaaah!"
*CRASH!*
The werewolves smashed through the solid wall and disappeared inside the building.
They were tough enough not to die from that, but it was more than enough to break a few bones.
Without checking on the werewolves I'd thrown, I propelled myself forward with my psychokinesis.
This wasn't about defeating the enemy; it was about clearing a path.
Whether they were fully subdued or not was no longer a priority.
[ M-Master! Unidentified terminals are approaching at high speed! There are more than ten of them! ]
But it seemed my opponents were not to be underestimated.
The moment I loudly took down those werewolves, enemies began closing in from all directions.
This was why I had been trying to take them out quietly, without leaving a trace.
It seemed that if I wanted to make it in time, a big fight was unavoidable.
I have no choice. If I ignore them, they'll just pile up. I have to clear them all out here and now.
I slowly reduced my speed and moved to find the most effective location for my psychokinesis.
Fighting from a more advantageous position was one of the easiest ways to increase my chances of victory.
*'This should be… good enough.'*
I quickly found a suitable spot.
A ruin with plenty of objects to use as weapons and lots of cover, making it difficult to surround.
This place seemed more than adequate for dealing with a large number of enemies.
*Rumble!*
But just then, a sound like a thunderclap erupted from not too far away.
It was a startling roar, so sharp it made me jolt upright in surprise.
Following that, the sound of gunpowder exploding echoed from all over the slum.
The loud gunfire sounded as if a full-scale war had broken out.
Feeling the gravity of the situation, my expression hardened like stone.
*'Wait, they're not trying to hide at all. That means…!'*
For them to make such a racket, advertising their presence when they had been moving so quietly to avoid being discovered?
There was only one possible explanation.
They had finally found their target, and there was no longer any reason to hide.
So, Greg had been found by the Metahuman Liberation Army!
Realizing this, I whipped my head toward the direction of the sounds, my ears perked like a rabbit's.
"Found her! It's the attacker!"
"St-Stop her!"
"Don't you dare let her interfere!"
But there were those who sought to hold me back. It was none other than a pack of werewolves.
As they approached, they spotted me and raised their voices, aiming their weapons.
*Tch*, sorry, but I'm not in the mood to play.
Gritting my teeth, I formed my psychokinesis into a giant's hand and slammed it down on the approaching group.
Perhaps because psychokinesis is an invisible attack.
Aside from a lucky few who managed to react, the rest were crushed under the massive fist.
As the dust settled, the forms of werewolves with their eyes rolled back, twitching on the ground, were revealed.
Seeing them tremble like that, were they all still alive? Such tenacious life force.
Still, it was a powerful blow that had incapacitated more than half the enemy in one strike.
Well, considering the amount of psychic power I'd spent, the trade-off was a bit of a loss.
"D-Don't be afraid! It's magic, magic! Aim for the caster's body, its weak point!"
"Wind magic? Damn it… what an annoying one!"
"Kill her!"
The remaining werewolves fired their guns as a diversion while fearlessly charging at me with their sharp claws.
They seemed to think I was a mage, immediately targeting my body.
It was the efficient movement of soldiers trained to run rampant on a life-or-death battlefield.
Their fighting spirit was something my soft self could never hope to match.
I spread my psychokinesis like a wall to block the incoming bullets, luring them into a wider area.
*'Of course, I'm not a mage. And I'm not a soldier who fights fair and square with the enemy, either.'*
*Crack!*
The ground beneath the charging werewolves gave way without resistance.
The flooring, though old, was made of stone tiles that guaranteed durability.
And for all the charging werewolves to face the same situation was certainly strange.
…No, actually, it wasn't strange at all.
I had anticipated they would charge straight at me.
I had simply prepared the ground in this area, making it soft and easy to fall through.
And once I used the earth to firmly trap the legs of the werewolves who had fallen in…
They were nothing more than scarecrows, unable to move from their spots!
"…!"
I pointed a finger out from under my cloth, aiming at the trapped werewolves.
The ground split open with a groan, swallowing them and dragging their bodies down.
The principle was simple. The ground here was well within the range of my psychokinesis.
I had simply used my power to grab them and bury them in the earth.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I had used my psychokinesis so freely.
Until now, I had always fought while holding back my power.
Looking back, it was an absurd thought.
The opponents I had fought—Drakel, Lexi, Ethan—every one of them was on a completely different level, far stronger than me.
To think I managed to fight while conserving my power… I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at myself.
But I'd had no choice. If the enemy was weaker than me, there was no reason to go all out.
And if they were stronger, I couldn't risk revealing my psychokinesis.
That was why I had no choice but to hide my potential as much as possible and rack my brain.
But things were different now.
It was okay not to hide my psychokinesis.
Because even if I was discovered, many things had become far more important than that.
That single thought made it feel as if I was seeing the world through new eyes.
"Aaaaargh!"
"H-Help me!"
"I don't want to d—!"
*Rumble!*
The werewolves' bodies were trapped in the earth.
I left them an airway, so they probably wouldn't die. Though they would be very cramped and miserable.
*'Phew… Let's go. To where Greg is.'*
Now, I shouldn't have to worry about any interruptions for a while.
Hang on, Greg. I'm coming right now.
Strangely, I felt no fear.
It was as if I could defeat any enemy that stood in my way.