Chapter 25 - What Remains [3]
“That's it, you pissed me off.” I scowled.
There was no point in trying to talk to someone who kept shoving me out of the window.
Being thrown by telekinesis like a ragdoll was terrifying, but I was able to protect myself by enveloping myself in a sphere of Ichor.
If I had fought her before mastering Ichor, when I couldn't form it as quickly as I can now, I would have been dead by now.
“Ha… hahaha!” She laughed, as if she didn’t expect me to survive that.
“…I see.” She took a deep breath, finally understanding why I had come here.
My unexpected arrival and everything that followed made her realize there was no point in reasoning with someone like me.
"..."
"..."
—Thrash!
The stranger lifted her arms and countless debris soared into the air, targeting me for the first move.
In response, I created an Ichor wall to shield myself from the incoming projectiles.
My hands formed thin strands not just from my fingertips, but from my entire arms, completing the process much faster.
As if she anticipated that I would find a way to block it, she circled me and had two metal rods floating behind her back.
"Crap...!" I flinched, remembering how telekinesis magic users fight in this world.
—Ving!!!
It was as if she had thrown two giant poles at me. I barely managed to dodge in time, but she didn't give me a moment to breathe and redirected the steel rods right in front of me.
—SHIIING...!
To avoid serious injury, I coated my arm with Ichor and tried to redirect it away from me.
—Flung!
"G-Gah...!" I fell to the ground, already feeling exhausted.
'This is bad... This is an opponent I cannot face at my level...' I thought, recognizing the extent of her skill.
It felt like I was a rabbit standing against a tiger—someone who had never learned how to fight against a real opponent.
'I really don't have any choice, do I?!' I shook my head, realizing there was no time to consider morals and had to rely on Libera to fight her fairly.
—Kachick!
"!!!" The stranger, who was about to impale me with two steel rods, flinched in intimidation upon seeing the gun in my hand.
—Shing...!
Seizing the chance, she threw the rods at me without hesitation before I got the opportunity to shoot her.
'Just wind magic will suffice!' I thought, also acting quickly as I aimed at her. I infused a surge of mana into Libera to interfere with the steel rods.
—Fwoosh!
In that instant, I pulled the trigger, unleashing a strong gust of wind. The wind not only diverted the rods but also sent her crashing into the wall.
—BOOOM!!!
"U-Urgh!" She wailed in pain as she collided with the wall. Although I managed to defend myself before the fight, she did not fare as well.
"That's payback!" I panted, sneering at her blunder. But I knew our fight was far from over.
—Voom...!
Suddenly, even more debris flew toward me. It was coming too fast for me to react, and all I could do was cover myself with minimal defences.
"G-Ghhk...!" I grunted, feeling some of my clothes tear as they got caught on sharp objects.
"I don't care anymore if they come. I'm going to end you right here, right now!!!" She gripped her choker tightly, determined to end it all here.
'Her power is rising again...!' I flinched, realizing that this might be her true strength, like before.
—Bzzt...!
But before she could unleash her power once more, her collar glowed with a bright light, leading to unexpected consequences.
"G-GYAAAH!!!" She cried in pain, as if she were bound by something.
'That collar seems familiar...' I tilted my head, trying to recall where I had seen it before.
While I watched her with curiosity, the stranger, despite being in severe pain, refused to back down.
—Crack!
As if the ground itself was crumbling, she took her position and, in that moment, dashed toward me, as if she didn’t care if I blasted her with another shot.
"You're crazy...!" I shouted, about to pull the trigger and unleash another blast of wind magic.
But she anticipated my move, darting left and right at speeds I could barely track.
—Vooom...!
At the same time, the two steel rods that I had forgotten about began to levitate again from both sides. I should have destroyed them earlier.
"Dammit!" I cussed and pulled the trigger again, firing directly at one of the steel rods.
—Fwooosh!
Simultaneously, I created a wall of Ichor to my right, hoping it's enough to stop the rod in its tracks.
Perhaps because I acted so hastily, I couldn't summon enough strength to halt it completely, and it pushed me back.
"Kkkgh...!" I grunted, feeling lightheaded from the force of the Ichor that had shoved me aside.
'Despite wanting to talk, I had to fight this lunatic...!'
Just thinking about her made my eyes widen, reminding me that she was still out there, hiding somewhere.
Not directly in front of me.
But behind me.
—Slice...!
At that moment, the stranger crept up behind me and stabbed my palm.
"A combat knife…?!" I exclaimed, trying to fend her off by aiming Libera directly at her face, and it worked.
"..."
"..."
We both stood there, looking at each other from a distance, sizing each other up.
Ah, it hurts. It hurts so much.
—Drip...!
Blood trickled down my hand, thoroughly soaking it. It bled continuously, as if it would never end.
"Haaah...! Haaah...!" I began to breathe heavily, frightened by how quickly things were escalating.
My head was filled with ominous thoughts; it was hard to think clearly.
In a desperate attempt, as if my instinct took over... I used the Ichor to block the bleeding forcefully.
What followed was excruciating pain.
"A-AAAAAAH!!!" I bit my lip, trying to withstand it.
I couldn't see the effect it had on my body, but the Ichor covering the wound wasn’t stable at all; it began to turn into liquid.
What dripped this time wasn’t red, however, but gold, as if it were taking the blood’s place.
"Haaah... Haaah..." I clutched my arm and began to smile despite the conflicting emotions swirling within me.
The stranger stood there, seemingly witnessing something bizarre.
"How thoughtful of you to wait for me to finish recovering," I mocked, still in pain from the encounter.
She refused to respond, as if she were contemplating how to kill me. In that moment, both of us learned something from each other.
I knew her mana was severely restricted. I don't know if what she was using was half her power.
On the other hand, she understood that if I were within a specific range, a single shot would be enough for me to win the fight.
"...?" The stranger attempted to lift the steel rods she had used against me, but she was unable to do so.
The Ichor possesses another unique property, besides exponentially increasing mana output: it blocks any external forces, including mana.
Now that the steel rod was coated with Ichor, she wouldn't be able to utilize it anytime soon. Additionally, the other steel bar was too far away for her to retrieve.
There was only one option she had left if she wanted to fight me without taking risks: close combat.
—Thud!
I defended myself with a combat knife forged from Ichor.
“How did you…?!” She gazed at my hands in surprise, but quickly shook her head, as if she should have expected this.
—Swing swing…!
Despite our continuous exchanges, the gap in strength and experience was too wide. I can't keep up before she stabs me again in a vital spot.
—Chiing...!
We traded blows without rest, her blade filled with malice and mine fueled by desperation. A single mistake could lead to my throat being slit, and death would surely follow.
Realizing I was starting to lose the battle, I decided to stop playing around and took out Libera.
...
...
...
‘Wait… where is it…?’ I searched for Libera, but it was gone.
“Over here.” She flaunted the object in her hand, holding Libera in front of my face. It was supposed to be in my pocket.
“Tch, I’ll give you points for that,” I said, trying my best not to let out a small chuckle.
“What are you gonna do now?” She aimed at my head, believing she had won since she had taken my gun.
—That’s what she’s probably thinking right now.
In a typical situation, what would you do if someone grabbed your gun? For me, I would probably comply to avoid being shot in the head for doing something foolish.
But if someone were to grab the Ass Contraption Blaster 3000, which requires reading a manual to operate, would I still comply? The answer is clear.
“—Then shoot me,” I replied briefly, without giving a damn, and rushed toward her without hesitation.
“W-What?!!” She recoiled, bewildered at how unfazed I was despite her taking my gun.
If I can't outmatch her with experience or strength, then I’ll have to resort to dirty tricks.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not exceptionally talented; far from it. All I have is my knowledge.
So, I'll play my role as a writer—the once proud overseer of this world.
That’s why I will use everything to my advantage to go further beyond.
—Fwoop!
“You damn freak!” She pulled the trigger in an attempt to shoot me in the head.
—Click!
"There are no bullets?!’ She kept pulling the trigger, yet to no avail; it was a failure.
“Too slow!” I created a net using Ichor to trap her.
“Tch…!” She clicked her tongue and used telekinesis to avoid it.
—Vooom!
As if she didn’t realize yet, her telekinesis failed against my Ichor, and she was eventually captured.
If the object I’m forming is simple—a rope, a cube, or any other uncomplicated mechanism—I can create it within seconds.
So if I were to master this skill, even someone like me could become a formidable opponent.
“This again…!” She struggled fiercely, going all out by releasing the same burst of power she had used at the beginning of our fight.
She didn't care anymore even if she dies here. As long as she takes me down with her, that's all that matters.
‘I saw that coming too…!’ I smiled, my emotions in conflict.
Before she could harness her telekinesis again, I made a replica of Libera right after she took mine.
“Eat this, you bastard!!” I launched myself at her, propelled by a wind bullet.
All the debris that she controlled in secrecy behind me was flung away, giving me the opportunity to do whatever I could at this moment.
With one final climax, I formed a massive gauntlet around my right arm, using momentum to hit her directly in the face.
It was more than enough power to overpower her psychic abilities completely, and within seconds—
The giant fist descended toward her face.
“Shit—"
—POW!!
“GUHACK!!!” I punched her so hard that she went flying and crashed through the shack that stored the motorcycle.
Ah… I didn’t kill her, right?
“Did I beat her...?” I managed to barely land on my feet, struggling to balance myself from the unbalanced posture I had during that attack.
My left hand that was stabbed was still in pain, but because of my reckless decision to seal the wound up with Ichor, it wasn't as bad as before.
‘As much as I didn’t want to hurt you... I guess this is payback for what happened earlier.’ I felt bitter, but justice was served after confirming that she had indeed seen me posing in the mirror.
I could have ended this fight much sooner if I had actually shot her with a condensed mana bullet, but I didn’t want to actually kill her.
To my surprise, I didn’t think it would be this bad… my combat capabilities.
I shook my head and decided to think about it later, to see if she was okay.
“Are they really okay…?” I ran to the shack where they had been thrown. I have to admit, that was a bit excessive.
But hey, they had Strengthening Magic on, so surely they will be fine, right?
“Cough… cough!” She was coughing up blood and unable to stand.
Hmm… never mind, it really was excessive after all.
“Just to let you know, this was all your fault to begin with, okay?” I formed handcuffs and moved closer to her.
“D…Don’t touch me… you Morzen bastard…” Even after beating her up like this, she still refused to submit and tried to escape,
“I swear, you remind me of that shitty bitch of a sister I had.” I reached out for her hands.
Everything was going smoothly until a spark appeared between our hands, and her collar began to glow even more vibrantly than before.
—PIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!
Suddenly, a loud noise rang out the moment I touched her.
“My ears...!” I covered my ears.
It was a familiar sound, a sound to be avoided at all costs.
It was something I never, ever wanted to hear.
“You… do you understand what you have done…!” I shouted; the calm composure I had vanished in an instant.
“N-No…” She stuttered, struggling to catch her breath. My blow to her face had taken its toll, and she quickly lost consciousness after these words.
Thankfully, she was still breathing, but it was clear that she was critically injured.
“Dammit... DAMMIT!!!” I stood up and grabbed Libera. There was no time to lose.
From here on out, a single mistake means death.
The eerie siren that echoed from her neck was a sound I had encountered three times already—
A desperate call used by Eldians that ultimately ends in calamity.
A Siren's Call.
