Chapter 84
Chapter 84
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Yuria Repays a Debt (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Objectively speaking, Akashumir was by no means an easy opponent.
She was a dark elf, a race specializing in lethal offensive magic even among the magically gifted elves.
On top of that, she was a magical prodigy said to appear only once in a millennium, placing her skills among the very best of mages.
The most fearsome aspect of the crimson lightning she primarily used was its speed.
Even ordinary lightning far surpasses the speed of sound, but her crimson lightning was twice as fast, piercing through any obstacle in its path.
In a battle between mages, where striking first holds a significant advantage, her crimson lightning was a nightmare one couldn't evade even if they knew it was coming.
This must be why, despite being quite young for an elf, she could confidently claim a spot among the Seven Extremes of the Metahuman Liberation Army, a title held by only seven individuals.
‘Still, no matter how fast it is... it's meaningless if it can't break through my defenses.’
However, that crimson lightning posed no real threat to me now.
If I couldn't react to it, then I simply had to avoid a battle of speed.
Psychokinesis was a mass of power capable of exerting physical influence on its own.
Therefore, by enveloping Greg and myself in a thick, spherical barrier, her attacks would do little more than chip away at that mass.
Of course, this method inevitably wasted energy.
It was no different from holding a heavy object without rest.
It was an incredibly crude defense, one that would lead to immediate defeat in a battle of attrition.
But it was fine. I wasn't aiming for a prolonged battle that required efficient energy management.
This was a decisive, short-term fight, where I would pour all my strength into a single moment to end my enemy's life!
“Aaaargh! Don’t look down on me... with those eyes! You damn bitch!”
“…”
*Rumble!*
Driven into a corner after taking a series of attacks, Akashumir screamed, her eyes bloodshot.
Was she reliving the horrific past she'd endured as a child, a trauma she couldn't forget even after becoming one of the Seven Extremes?
I knew of it, but I didn't feel particularly sorry for her.
Akashumir had already crossed a line from which there was no return, making it hard to pity her.
Furthermore, the thought that she would one day reappear to stand in my way only hardened my heart.
‘I didn't really want to do this... but I have no choice. Since I have to protect Greg, I need her to make her exit here.’
I didn't particularly want to kill anyone.
It wasn't because I wanted to spout clichés about how all life is noble and precious.
It was simply because I felt that if I got used to killing, I would never be able to go back to the way I was.
However, that was just something I wished for myself.
It wasn't a conviction or a die-hard resolution I had to uphold no matter what.
If there was something more important to protect than that vague sentiment, I could easily cast it aside.
Thus, having made my decision, I aimed my hand at Akashumir, imbuing it with genuine killing intent.
‘Psychokinesis is a power that transmits force directly, without any medium. So, if I focus that force on an extremely fine point... I should be able to create a phenomenon like this.’
*Krrrrk.*
From the empty space above my head came an ominous sound.
No, it wasn't actually empty.
It was filled with atmospheric particles, invisible to the human eye.
My psychokinesis compressed those particles into an infinitesimally small point, again and again.
The air, rapidly and forcefully compressed into that tiny point, collided violently, becoming extremely hot.
It grew hotter and hotter... until it began to distort the surrounding space like a heat haze.
Soon, the temperature at the point of compression reached thousands of degrees, forming plasma—the fourth state of matter!
“Kuh... this intense light and heat...!”
“Ah, aaaah!”
The rapidly destabilized atmosphere naturally whipped up a fierce wind that sent hair flying.
Within the blurry storm, the plasma, shining like the sun, was akin to a brilliant lighthouse in a dark sea.
The intense, high-temperature plasma instantly heated the surrounding air, searing the skin.
This massive crystallization of energy, which seemed unstoppable even by Akashumir's lightning, appeared to make the outcome of the battle clear.
“Damn it all!”
“…”
Compressing the atmosphere to create plasma was, as expected, no easy task.
It required me to use my psychokinesis—which had felt limitless in my adult body—to the very dregs.
Still, this was surely a finishing blow. It would be more than enough to be the final move that would certainly end my opponent.
The plasma was released simply by creating a tiny opening.
It was like a colossal flash of light, an absolute predator that voraciously devoured everything in its path.
But there was no great sound. Or perhaps it was simply beyond the range of a living creature's hearing.
The brilliant blue plasma surged forward, lightly swallowing the approaching crimson lightning, and gently crushed every object in its path down to the particle level...
“...!”
Just before the sun-like blue flash could swallow the defenseless Akashumir.
An immense wave of dizziness washed over me, and the sense of omnipotence that had filled my body drained away.
My vision swam.
I couldn't possibly remain standing and had no choice but to collapse to the ground.
Ouch! Even through the dizziness, I felt the pain in my bottom from hitting the stone floor.
What just happened?
As I clutched my throbbing head and fought back a wave of nausea, the Tesseract's faint voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
[ Mama... sorry, I've used up all my power... ]
Hearing the Tesseract's voice, I struggled to open my eyes and looked down.
What I saw was a pair of very familiar, soft, small palms.
Come to think of it, my center of gravity, which had felt like it would tip me forward if I stood still, was back to normal...
It seemed I was back in my familiar child form.
The Tesseract's power, which had barely maintained my adult form, must have run out.
It wasn't surprising.
The psychokinesis I had been using in the fight was a power that certainly hadn't existed in this world.
Its foundation came from the rift energy I had diligently fed the Tesseract.
Eventually, as time passed, it was only natural for the transformation itself to come undone.
But to think that the energy I'd gathered in the closet for nearly three weeks couldn't even last five minutes.
Even if I was wielding a power on a completely different level, this efficiency was just too poor.
And of all times, for it to wear off at the crucial moment I was about to finish off my enemy.
This is why I tried to end it quickly! A cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
Still, there was a chance.
The transformation had worn off, but remnants of the psychokinesis I had spread around still lingered.
If I could somehow use this to land a blow...!
“Ha, ha... what. I'm... alive...? Ah, so that's what happened? Of course, there's no way I could lose. A terrible nightmare like that... could never happen!”
*Crackle!*
Akashumir, whose life was spared thanks to the plasma dissipating before it could maintain its form.
Seemingly disoriented, she scattered crimson currents in all directions.
Having clearly expended a great deal of mana, it wasn't the spectacular magic from before that seemed to shake the heavens and earth.
It was an ordinary lightning spell, scattering blade-like currents everywhere.
But to me, now back in my child form, even that was breathtakingly powerful.
‘Ugh! I can't... withstand this!’
*Bang!*
The psychokinetic shield I had managed to scrape together shattered easily, and my body was sent flying.
I tumbled backward and finally came to a stop next to Greg.
This was bad. My last resort was gone.
With my pea-sized psychokinesis, there was no way I could deal any damage!
Of course, my opponent, Akashumir, wasn't in good shape either.
Her body showed signs of being battered, and her movements were stiff and awkward, as if her mana was completely drained.
However, even in her tattered state, she still had more than enough strength to finish off Greg and me.
It was a desperate crisis with nowhere left to turn.
“Yuria, are you all right? Ugh, for now... I'll handle this.”
“…”
What can you do in that state? There's no way. What an idiot.
I slapped Greg's back repeatedly, trying to stop him.
But his skin was so tough that it only made my own palm sting.
*Stagger, stagger.*
The battered Akashumir slowly approached.
With little mana left, she probably intended to close the distance to ensure she could finish us off.
As she slowly closed the distance, she felt like a grim reaper coming to claim our lives.
This really wasn't good...
Just as I thought that and pushed myself up from the floor to find another way, a sharp gunshot rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
“Hey, that's far enough.”
Turning my head toward the voice, I saw a very welcome face.
A man in a tattered dress shirt and slacks, his black hair a complete mess.
Looking quite exhausted, he was unmistakably Raven.
He was perched on a high spot, forcing us to look up at him.
Akashumir scowled in displeasure and spoke to him.
“You're that human I saw earlier. How did you get back? Where's Urkan?”
“Well... it's like this.”
“...! You!”
He answered her nonchalantly, then tossed something he'd been carrying on his shoulder.
*Thud!*
The thing that landed on the ground, kicking up a cloud of black dust, was none other than a giant werewolf.
Seeing its eyes rolled back and its limp body, it seemed to be completely unconscious.
He won his fight! As expected, I knew I could count on him!
My eyes sparkled at this wonderful news, and I clenched my fists.
But just then, Greg, who had been clutching his wounds, suddenly threw a large overcoat at me.
Huh, why is he giving me this? Do I look cold?
As I tilted my head at his inexplicable action, Greg frowned as if enduring pain and said,
“I heard the story. You're hiding the fact that you're a ghost from Raven. For now, hide yourself with that.”
“...!”
Ah, right. Right now, I don't have my mask or my cloth...
On top of that, he told me not to get involved, and I secretly snuck over here anyway.
Naturally, it would be incredibly awkward if Raven found out.
I hurriedly bowed my head to Greg in thanks.
Then I quickly draped Greg's large coat over myself like a robe and used psychokinesis to swiftly retrieve the fox mask rolling on the floor.
While I was hastily concealing my identity, Raven and Akashumir continued their conversation, eyeing each other warily.
“Take him and retreat. I put a bullet in his heart, but he's a werewolf. If you hurry and give him first aid, you should be able to save him.”
“...Hmph. And why should I? I don't care if he lives or dies. Letting you all escape is the bigger problem.”
“Is that so? You don't look to be in great shape yourself... Do you really need to see this to the end to be satisfied? Well, it's not like I'm lacking confidence either.”
*Rumble...*
Perhaps it was because both Raven and Akashumir were absurdly powerful.
The sheer force of their gazes seemed to freeze the very air.
But in the end, it was Akashumir who broke first.
The werewolf slowly dying from a bullet in his heart, Urkan, was one of the Seven Extremes, just like her.
She must have judged that for the Metahuman Liberation Army, which valued quality over quantity, losing one of the Seven Extremes would be an outrageous loss.
Moreover, having exhausted her mana to its limits in her fight with me, she had no guarantee she could defeat Raven, who had just taken down Urkan.
“Tch. How annoying. So damn annoying... Just you remember, I'll be sure to repay this debt.”
In the end, Akashumir's face twisted into a vicious scowl of displeasure.
She grabbed the fallen Urkan by the scruff of his neck and left.
As she disappeared, the lingering presence that had been loitering nearby also faded into the distance.
Raven sighed, then leaped down toward us with someone tucked under his arm.
“Phew, I used up almost all my special rounds fighting that werewolf. Good thing she retreated peacefully. Hey, Greg. I managed to keep this lady safe.”
“...Yeah, thanks. I've caused you a lot of trouble.”
“Th-thank you. I don't know how I can ever repay you...”
“Nah, it's fine... When the Metahuman Liberation Army is involved, you can't help it. Better to rough it up a bit than let those guys get their hands on an artisan who can fix artifacts.”
*Peek.*
From within Greg's coat, which almost completely hid me, I carefully peeked outside.
There I saw the battle-worn Raven and a woman with narrow eyes who looked somewhat familiar.
Huh, is that... Karen?
She's that arachne artisan. The one who can fix any artifact.
To think the artisan Greg knew was Karen.
It felt strange to discover a connection like this, something that never appeared in the original story.
But while I was marveling at this internally, their conversation seemed to end, and the group's gaze quickly shifted to me.
They must have been wondering about the suspiciously dressed stranger who had suddenly appeared on the scene.
Raven glanced my way and spoke with a very serious expression.
“So, and you are... *pfft*, who might you be?”
“...?”
What was that? Did I imagine him laughing just now?
Seeing Raven's still-serious face, I couldn't help but tilt my head slightly.