NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 83
Objectively speaking, Akashmir was definitely no easy opponent.
Her race was a Dark Elf specialized in attack magic that kills enemies among the magic-adept Elves.
Moreover, she was a magical genius, likely born once in a thousand years, making her skills among the utmost of all mages.
The terrifying part of the red lightning that Akashmir primarily used was its speed.
Even ordinary lightning lingered in the realm that significantly surpassed the speed of sound. Red lightning pierced through obstructions at double that speed.
Being the first to reach an opponent brings numerous advantages in the world of wizards, and red lightning was an absolute nightmare that one could know about but couldn’t catch up to.
This was why, at such a young age for an Elf, she could confidently ascend to one of the Seven Generals of the Liberators of the mixed-race army.
‘Well, no matter how fast it is… as long as it can’t break through our defense, it doesn’t matter.’
However, that red lightning posed no real threat to me now.
If I couldn’t respond no matter what, there was no need to engage in a battle of speed in the first place.
Telekinesis was a bundle of power that could exert physical influence on its own.
Therefore, if I enveloped Greg and myself in a thick, round shield, the opponent’s attack would only serve to chip away at a portion of that mass.
Of course, this would inevitably waste energy.
It was no different than continually lifting a heavy object without rest.
Going into a protracted battle like this could be a cause of immediate defeat, being an absolutely foolish defensive method.
But it was all right. What I aimed for now was not a long battle requiring efficient exertion of strength.
It was a short-term decision to cut down the enemy in one swift strike!
“AAAH! Don’t look at me with those eyes! Damn you!”
“…”
Kugung!
Akashmir, cornered after allowing a series of attacks, shouted with bloodshot eyes.
What she recalled were likely the terrible past she suffered as a child, a trauma she couldn’t forget even after becoming one of the Seven Generals of the Liberators.
I knew this intellectually, but I didn’t particularly feel sorry for her.
It was too late for me to pity Akashmir; she had already crossed an irreversible line.
Moreover, the thought that she would one day appear again to block my path made my resolve colder.
‘I didn’t particularly want to do this… but I can’t help it. As long as I need to protect Greg, I have to take her out here.’
I didn’t particularly want to kill anyone.
I didn’t want to spout some cliché about the sanctity and preciousness of life.
It was simply that I felt I wouldn’t be able to go back to how I was once I became accustomed to killing.
However, that was merely a thought that stemmed from my desire.
It was not a conviction or determination that I must uphold at all costs.
If there was something more important to protect than that vague will, it could easily be brushed aside.
Thus, having made my decision, I pointed my hand toward Akashmir with genuine intent to kill.
‘Telekinesis is the ability to convey pure power without any medium. So if I focus extreme force on a single point… I should be able to create this phenomenon.’
Creak.
From above my head, a peculiar sound echoed in the empty space.
No, actually, it wasn’t that nothing existed there.
Air particles invisible to human eyes were present there.
Telekinesis endlessly compressed those air particles into an infinitely small point.
The compressed air, forced together quickly and powerfully, collided with itself and became extremely hot.
Growing hotter and hotter… when the surrounding space began to ripple like a mirage.
Soon, the temperature at that compression point reached thousands of degrees, forming plasma, the fourth state of matter!
“Gah… this hot light and heat…!”
“A, AAAH!”
The rapidly destabilized atmosphere naturally stirred up fierce winds, causing my hair to fly.
In the haze of the storm, the plasma, shining like the sun, resembled a beacon dazzling in a dark sea.
The intense, high-temperature plasma quickly heated the surrounding air, stimulating the skin with its warmth.
No matter how powerful Akashmir’s lightning was, it seemed utterly powerless against such a vast energy manifestation that clearly indicated which way the battle would sway.
“Damn it!”
“…”
Compressing air to create plasma was no easy feat.
I had to use my telekinesis to its limits, feeling like I had no bounds as an adult.
Nonetheless, this had to be a sure kill. It had to be a finishing move that would absolutely end the opponent.
The plasma was easily unleashed with just a minuscule opening.
It was like a giant flash of light, an absolute predator that voraciously consumed everything that obstructed its path.
However, there was no tremendous sound. Or rather, perhaps it was something that living beings’ auditory senses couldn’t perceive.
The sea-blue plasma advanced, gently enveloping the approaching red lightning, obliterating all objects in its path at the particle level…
“…!”
Just as the sun-like blue flash was about to engulf the defenseless Akashmir.
With a tremendous dizziness, the all-encompassing feeling of omnipotence that had filled my body drained away.
The sensation of everything spinning before my eyes.
I simply couldn’t stand upright; I had to sit down on the ground.
Ouch! Even amidst the dizziness, my rear felt the pain of colliding solidly with the stone floor.
What was happening suddenly?
As I grasped my aching head, holding back the rising nausea, a feeble voice from the Tesseract echoed in my mind.
[ Mama… I’m sorry; I’ve used up all my energy…. ]
Struggling to open my eyes in response to the Tesseract’s voice, I looked down.
What entered my sight was a very familiar, soft little palm.
Now that I thought about it, my center of gravity felt like it had returned to normal, as if I was about to tumble over if I stood still…
It seemed that I had reverted to the familiar appearance of a child.
The power of the Tesseract, which I had somehow been holding on to in adult form, had evidently run its course.
This wasn’t strange.
The telekinesis I had been using until just now wasn’t a power that existed in this world.
Its foundation stemmed from the disruption energy that I had diligently fed to the Tesseract.
Ultimately, when time passed, the transformation would naturally unravel.
However, would the amount I collected over nearly three weeks in the wall not even last five minutes?
Even if I had learned to handle an utterly different power, this was way too inefficient.
And it was particularly unfortunate that this unraveling happened at the decisive moment of finishing off the enemy.
I had intended to wrap it up swiftly! Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
Still, there was yet an opportunity.
Even though the transformation had unraveled, the remnants of telekinesis I had spread around remained.
If I could somehow use these to land a blow…!
“Ha, ha… what? Am I still alive…? Ah, so that’s how it is? Well, I can’t possibly lose. Such a terrible nightmare… there’s no way it can happen!”
With the plasma that had lost its form dissipating, Akashmir was spared from death.
She seemed disoriented, scattering red currents in every direction.
It looked like she had consumed quite a bit of mana, as it no longer had the splendid flair of before; this was merely an extremely ordinary lightning magic that sprayed jagged currents around.
But to me, now returned to a child’s form, even that was a heart-stopping power.
“Ugh! This is… unbearable!”
Bang!
Somehow, the telekinesis shield I had gathered dispersed easily, and my body floated up.
And after rolling over, I barely came to a stop next to Greg.
Oh no. If this continued, my last resort would vanish.
With my minuscule telekinesis, there was no way to mitigate the damage!
Of course, Akashmir wasn’t in perfect shape either.
She appeared battered, and her mana seemed empty, causing her movements to be oddly jerky.
However, even in such a tattered state, she would undoubtedly have sufficient leeway to finish us off.
It was a dire moment with no place left to rely on.
“Yuria, are you okay? Ugh, right now… let me handle it.”
“…”
How could she do anything in that condition? There was no way it could happen, was it? What a fool.
I slapped Greg’s back, trying to hold him back.
But his skin was so taut that my hand only felt stinging pain from the impact.
Stumbling.
Battered Akashmir slowly approached.
With her mana nearly depleted, was she planning to finish us off for certain?
As she closed the distance gradually, she felt like a grim reaper coming to claim a life.
I really couldn’t let this go on….
As I thought that and sought a way out, a sharp gunshot suddenly drew everyone’s attention.
“Hey, that’s far enough.”
When I turned my head toward the voice, I was greeted by a face that brought great relief.
In a tattered dress shirt and suit pants, with his disheveled black hair, there was no mistaking it; it was Raven.
He was elevated quite high, forcing me to look up naturally.
Akashmir frowned at him, clearly displeased.
“You’re the human I saw earlier. How did you come back? Where is Huracan?”
“What… does it matter?”
“…! You!”
As he casually responded, he tossed something that he had been carrying over his shoulder.
Boom!
Kicking up a cloud of dark dust, what fell to the ground was none other than a gigantic werewolf.
Looking as if it had completely fainted, with its eyes rolled back.
So they won that side! I knew I could trust them!
I clenched my fists in excitement at this more than favorable news, my eyes shining brightly.
But in that moment, Greg suddenly threw a massive coat at me.
Huh? Why is he giving this to me? Do I look cold right now?
Perplexed by his actions, I cocked my head, and Greg, grimacing in pain, said,
“I heard the story. You’re hiding your identity as a ghost from Raven. Use that to conceal yourself for now.”
“…!”
Ah, right. Right now, I had no mask or disguise….
Besides that, I had been cautioned not to get involved while secretly hiding here.
Naturally, it would be incredibly troublesome if Raven discovered me.
I quickly bowed my head to Greg in appreciation.
Then I swiftly wrapped the large garment around me like a robe and retrieved the fox mask that was rolling on the ground with my telekinesis.
As I busily hid my identity, Raven and Akashmir continued their wary conversation.
“Take that guy and retreat. I’ve shot a bullet into his heart, but since he’s a werewolf, if you hurry with first aid, you should be able to save him.”
“…Hmph. Why should I care? Whether that guy lives or dies is none of my business. The problem is getting you two to escape.”
“Really? You don’t look like you’re in very good shape yourself… Don’t you think you should get some satisfaction before it’s all over? Though I’m not exactly lacking in confidence myself.”
Gogogog…
Perhaps because both Raven and Akashmir were absurdly powerful beings.
Just their gazes toward one another felt like the atmosphere had frozen solid.
But soon enough, it was Akashmir who crumbled first.
With a bullet embedded in the heart of the werewolf, Huracan was slowly dying.
In the Liberators where quantity over quality was the principle, losing one of the Seven Generals would clearly be a catastrophic loss.
Moreover, considering that she had nearly exhausted her mana from the fight with me, she wouldn’t have a guaranteed victory against Raven in her current state.
“Tch. So annoying. Annoying, annoying…. Remember this; I’ll definitely repay this debt.”
Ultimately, looking quite displeased, Akashmir twisted her face in frustration.
Then she grabbed Huracan by the nape and left the scene.
Once she disappeared, the presences lurking nearby faded as well.
Raven let out a sigh, jumping down this way while clutching someone to his side.
“Phew, I nearly used all my special rounds fighting that werewolf. I’m glad they retreated. Hey, Greg, we managed to keep the lady here safe.”
“…Yeah, thanks. I really caused a lot of trouble.”
“Thank you. How can I repay this kindness…?”
“Ah, well… With the Liberators involved, it can’t be helped, can it? It’s better than having a craftsman who can fix artifacts like that get caught.”
Slightly.
I cautiously peeked outside from Greg’s coat, which almost concealed my entire body.
What I saw was Raven covered in battle traces, along with a woman with partially closed eyes that looked rather familiar.
Wait, isn’t that… Karen?
The Arachne artisan! A craftsman capable of fixing any artifact.
To think that the craftsman Greg knew was actually Karen.
It was fascinating to find a connection like this that had never appeared in the original work.
But while I was internally thinking and feeling amazed, it seemed that the conversation had ended, and the group’s gaze quickly turned toward me.
Surely they were questioning the presence of a suspicious-looking outsider who had suddenly intruded.
Raven glanced this way, then spoke with a serious expression.
“So, may I ask who you are… ?”
“…?”
What? Did he just smile a moment ago? Was it my imagination?
I couldn’t help but tilt my head, gazing at Raven’s nearly serious face.