Objectively speaking, Akashmir was by no means an easy opponent.
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Her race was a subset of elves specialized in magic, specifically offensive magic designed to kill—Dark Elves.
On top of that, she was a once-in-a-millennium prodigy, her abilities ranking her among the best even among elite magicians.
The most terrifying aspect of Akashmir’s red lightning was its speed.
Even ordinary lightning already surpassed the speed of sound. Her crimson lightning was twice as fast, piercing through obstacles with ease.
In battles between magicians, where reaching the opponent first often determined the victor, her red lightning was a nightmare—impossible to counter, even if you knew it was coming.
This was how she had earned her position as one of the Seven Abyssal Extremes of the Multispecies Liberation Army, despite being relatively young for an elf.
“Well, no matter how fast it is... if it can’t break through my defenses, it doesn’t mean much.”
Despite its overwhelming speed, her crimson lightning was no threat to me now.
If I couldn’t react in time, the answer was simple—don’t play her speed game in the first place.
Telekinesis was a raw force capable of exerting physical influence on the world.
By encasing Greg and myself in a thick, spherical barrier of telekinetic energy, her attacks would merely chip away at the surface.
Of course, this method was incredibly wasteful.
It was like holding up a heavy weight without rest—it drained energy rapidly.
In a prolonged battle, this inefficient defense could easily lead to defeat.
But that didn’t matter.
I wasn’t aiming for a long battle where I had to ration my strength.
This was a short, decisive confrontation—one where I would throw everything into ending it in a single blow.
“Don’t... don’t look at me like that! Don’t you dare look down on me with those eyes, you damned wretch!”
BOOM!
Akashmir screamed, veins bulging in her eyes as she unleashed another volley of attacks.
Was she recalling some traumatic memory from her past—something horrific from her childhood that even her status as one of the Seven Abyssal Extremes couldn’t erase?
Though I knew her backstory, I didn’t feel any sympathy for her.
Akashmir had already crossed a line she could never come back from.
And thinking about how she might return someday to stand in my way only hardened my resolve further.
“I didn’t want to resort to this... but I have no choice. I have to protect Greg. You need to go down here and now.”
It wasn’t that I wanted to kill her.
Not because of some lofty ideals about the sanctity of life or anything like that.
I just knew that if I became accustomed to killing, there would be no going back for me.
But that was only my personal preference.
It wasn’t a firm belief or an unshakable vow.
If there was something more important to protect, I was willing to discard it without hesitation.
With my decision made, I pointed my hand toward Akashmir, channeling lethal intent into my telekinesis.
“Telekinesis is pure force transmitted without any intermediary. If I concentrate it to an extreme point... I can create this phenomenon.”
Crack.
A faint but ominous sound echoed above my head, in the seemingly empty air.
But it wasn’t truly empty.
The air was full of particles invisible to the human eye.
Using telekinesis, I compressed those particles into an infinitely small point, over and over again.
As the compressed air collided with itself, it rapidly heated to an extreme temperature.
The heat grew more intense, distorting the surrounding space like a mirage.
And finally, when the temperature of the compressed point exceeded several thousand degrees, it transformed into plasma—the fourth state of matter!
“This... this intense heat and light...!”
“Agh, no... no!”
The rapidly destabilizing air created a fierce wind that blew my hair wildly.
Amid the hazy storm, the plasma glowed brilliantly, like a lighthouse in a dark ocean.
The searing hot plasma heated the surrounding air, causing an unbearable sting against the skin.
Even Akashmir’s lightning seemed powerless against the enormous energy I had summoned—a definitive indication of where this battle was heading.
“Damn youuuu!”
"..."
Compressing air to create plasma wasn’t easy.
Even in my adult form, which felt limitless, this technique had nearly drained my telekinesis completely.
But it was enough.
The plasma needed only a small breach to unleash its energy.
It erupted like a massive flash of light, consuming everything in its path like a ravenous predator.
It didn’t even make a sound—or perhaps it was beyond the range of human hearing.
The brilliant blue plasma devoured Akashmir’s crimson lightning and obliterated everything in its trajectory down to the particles.
Just as the blazing blue light was about to engulf the defenseless Akashmir, a wave of dizziness hit me.
The overwhelming sense of omnipotence that had filled my body began to drain away.
My vision spun, and I couldn’t stay upright. I collapsed onto the ground, landing painfully on my backside.
What... what just happened?
Clutching my throbbing head and fighting off nausea, I suddenly heard the weak voice of the Tesseract in my mind.
[Mama... I’m sorry. I used up all my energy...]
Looking down, I saw a familiar sight—my small, soft hands.
My balance, which had shifted forward in my adult form, had returned to normal.
I was back to my familiar childlike appearance.
It wasn’t surprising.
The telekinesis I had been wielding was an ability that didn’t belong to this world, powered by the energy I had diligently fed the Tesseract.
Eventually, the transformation was bound to wear off.
But to think that three weeks of stored energy hadn’t even lasted five minutes!
Even if the power it granted was extraordinary, the efficiency was terrible.
And to have the transformation end at the critical moment when I needed to finish her off...
This was why I had tried to end things quickly! A cold sweat ran down my forehead.
Still, there was a chance.
Though the transformation had worn off, traces of telekinetic energy remained in the area.
If I could just harness them for one final attack...!
“Hah... hah... I’m... alive? I... I survived? Hah, of course I did. There’s no way I could lose. That kind of nightmare... could never happen!”
Crackle!
Akashmir, saved by the collapse of the plasma, scattered red currents around her in a daze.
Her magical reserves seemed drained; the spells she unleashed were no longer the earth-shaking displays from before.
Instead, it was a more mundane lightning magic, sending blade-like currents slicing through the air.
But even those relatively simple spells were overwhelming for me in my child form.
“Ugh... I can’t hold on!”
Bang!
The telekinetic shield I had cobbled together shattered effortlessly, sending my body flying through the air.
I rolled backward several times before coming to a stop next to Greg.
This was bad. My last resort had failed.
With the minuscule amount of telekinetic power I had left, there was no way to mitigate the damage.
Of course, Akashmir wasn’t in perfect shape either.
Her body bore the marks of numerous blows, and her movements were sluggish, as if her magical reserves were completely drained.
But even in her tattered state, she still had enough strength to finish off both Greg and me.
We were out of options, trapped in an utterly dire situation.
“Yuria, are you okay? Ugh... Let me handle this.”
“...”
What could he possibly do in that condition? That was impossible, wasn’t it?
I slapped Greg’s back repeatedly in protest, trying to stop him, but his tough skin left my hands stinging instead.
Staggering, Akashmir began to approach us slowly.
She seemed intent on ending this with certainty, likely aiming to eliminate any chance of escape with her remaining magic.
The way she closed the distance felt like death itself was walking toward us.
This can’t end like this...
As I struggled to push myself up, desperately searching for another solution, a sharp gunshot suddenly rang out, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Hey, that’s far enough.”
I turned my head toward the voice, and relief washed over me at the sight of a familiar figure.
A man in a tattered dress shirt and slacks, his disheveled black hair a mess.
Though visibly exhausted, there was no mistaking him—Raven.
Standing on higher ground, Raven’s imposing presence naturally made Akashmir look up.
She scowled, her face twisted in frustration as she addressed him.
“You... the human from earlier. How did you return? What about Urakan?”
“Oh, this? Like this.”
With a casual response, he swung something off his shoulder and hurled it to the ground.
Thud!
A massive werewolf hit the dirt, kicking up a cloud of black dust.
Its rolled-back eyes and limp form made it clear that Urakan was completely unconscious.
You actually did it! I knew I could count on you!
I clenched my fists and sparkled with excitement at the incredible news.
But before I could celebrate further, Greg, still clutching his wounds, tossed a large coat in my direction.
Huh? Why is he giving me this? Do I look cold or something?
Confused by his action, I tilted my head, and Greg, grimacing through the pain, spoke in a strained voice.
“I heard the story. You’re hiding the fact that you’re a ghost from Raven, right? Use this to cover yourself.”
“...!”
Oh, right. I was without my mask or veil right now...
Not to mention, I had snuck over here against his orders. If Raven realized who I was, it would be a disaster.
Hurriedly, I nodded in thanks to Greg and wrapped his oversized coat around myself like a robe.
Then, using telekinesis, I quickly retrieved my fox mask, which had rolled across the ground.
While I scrambled to conceal my identity, Raven and Akashmir continued their tense exchange, sizing each other up.
“Take him and leave. I put a bullet through his heart, but he’s a werewolf. If you hurry, you can save him with emergency treatment.”
“...Hah. Why should I care? Whether he lives or dies isn’t my concern. Letting you slip away would be the real problem.”
“Oh? You don’t look like you’re in great shape. Do you really need to see this through to the end? Not that I’m lacking confidence on my side.”
The air around them grew heavy, crackling with tension as their sheer presence seemed to freeze the atmosphere.
But it was Akashmir who ultimately relented.
Perhaps she realized that losing Urakan—another member of the Seven Abyssal Extremes—would be a significant blow to the Liberation Army, which valued quality over quantity.
Additionally, having nearly exhausted her magic reserves in our fight, Akashmir couldn’t guarantee victory against Raven, who had just defeated Urakan.
“Tch. Annoying, annoying, annoying... Remember this. I’ll repay this debt one day.”
Scowling fiercely, she grabbed the unconscious Urakan by the scruff of his neck and disappeared into the distance.
Her presence, along with the faint traces of her lingering energy, gradually faded away.
With a sigh of relief, Raven leapt down to our level, carrying someone under his arm.
“Phew. I used up almost all my special bullets fighting that werewolf. At least she backed off. Hey, Greg. I kept the lady safe.”
“...Thanks. I owe you one.”
“Th-thank you. I don’t even know how to repay this debt...”
“It’s fine. When the Liberation Army’s involved, there’s no helping it. Better to get a little banged up than let someone like her fall into their hands.”
Peeking out cautiously from under Greg’s coat, I scanned the scene.
Standing beside Raven was a woman with narrowed eyes, her face familiar.
Wait, isn’t that... Karen?
The arachne artisan who could repair any artifact.
To think Greg’s artifact repair specialist turned out to be Karen.
It was fascinating to discover this unexpected connection, something never mentioned in the original story.
While I marveled silently at the revelation, their conversation wrapped up, and all eyes turned toward me.
Perhaps suspicious of my sudden appearance, Raven glanced my way, his expression serious as he addressed me.
“So... who might you be?”
“...?”
Did he just smirk? Or am I imagining things?
Seeing his otherwise stern expression, I tilted my head in confusion.