The Tesseract, which had been dormant, had awakened, and the Invaders’ sches had been thwarted.
Even Anser, who seed beyond saving, was back to normal.
In so ways, it felt like a series of results that couldn’t have been better.
It was only natural that the tension I had been unconsciously holding onto suddenly released.
However, when the still-unconscious Anser collapsed, and I barely caught her before she hit the ground, reality finally hit like a wave.
‘…It’s not ti to relax yet. The real challenge starts now.’
Thinking about it, there were still unresolved problems everywhere.
The biggest issue was that I needed to leave before the police caught .
If I were mistaken as the cause of the incident, things could spiral quickly. Moreover, if anyone witnessed using telekinesis, it would cause chaos.
Even if I allowed myself to be captured peacefully, being found out as soone without any legal identity would be deeply problematic.
Thus, avoiding the police at all costs was the best option.
But thanks to the contracts Anser had scattered everywhere, the place was likely surrounded with no way out.
Escaping through their blockade was going to be a significant challenge from the start.
‘And there’s another dilemma: do I leave Anser behind or escape with her?’
Based on the police chatter, Anser had already been identified as a suspect in the incident.
Even if I took her and ran, there was a high chance they’d pursue us relentlessly.
Once marked as a target, there might be no end to it until we escaped NightHaven.
But leaving her behind didn’t feel right either. The scale of the incident was too large to ignore.
An entire subway station had been shut down, and all nearby trains had co to a halt.
The financial losses alone were dizzying to even estimate.
In truth, she was just a victim, manipulated against her will. Soone else had caused all this chaos.
But there was a good chance she’d take the fall for everything.
‘Argh! My head hurts! What am I supposed to do? I have no idea!’
Holding the collapsed Anser with my telekinesis, I grabbed my head in frustration as a splitting headache threatened to overwhelm .
Ti was painfully short. The contracts Anser had scattered had likely lost their effectiveness by now.
But making a hasty decision felt impossible when every choice seed wrong.
Oh, if only there were so magical object that could solve all my problems at once!
With that thought, I glanced at the Tesseract rolling in my palm.
Hmm… using the Tesseract to solve the situation felt tricky right now.
The lack of anything to offer as a price was one issue. But more importantly, the Tesseract wasn’t so omnipotent wish-granting tool.
‘The Tesseract is a device that forcibly extracts the potential soone holds within. It could restore Anser and to a version of ourselves without injuries… but it’s not likely to help much right now.’ ȑаŊȪΒĚＳ
Nothing seed to work. So, what was I supposed to do?
I wandered in confusion for a long while before smacking my cheeks with both hands to refocus.
First, I needed to get out of here. Everything else could wait.
Feeling the stinging sensation on my cheeks, I resolved to leave the area first.
If things spiraled out of control later, I’d figure sothing out!
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“….”
In the distance, I heard the ground rumble.
It seed the police, whose progress had been delayed, were finally entering the area.
At most, I had about two minutes of leeway.
In that short ti, I needed to escape this place like magic. But could I pull it off?
‘Wait a second… what if… I do this?’
As I scanned my surroundings, an idea suddenly sparked in my mind.
What is the biggest problem right now?
Escaping this narrow underground tunnel without being spotted was impossible.
But if I could avoid being seen, most of the problem would be solved.
“…!”
A decent plan ca to mind, and I stomped my foot hard against the ground.
Using telekinesis, I extended my power to the ground, grabbing onto the materials below.
What I held were the ballast rocks under the rails, which dampened sound and dispersed impact.
Perhaps because my body was brimming with power after absorbing the Invader fragnt, I managed to lift nearly two tons of ballast rocks.
‘Now, let’s… shape it like this!’
The rocks floated into the air, gathering like clay in response to my will.
Within monts, they ford the massive shape of a giant.
If I were to na it, I’d call it… Rock Giant.
With Anser in my arms, I climbed onto the completed Rock Giant and left her safely on its palm before slipping into its inner fra.
The rocks were dusty and dirty, but my makeshift tablecloth would absorb most of the gri, so it wasn’t worth worrying about.
‘Alright, let’s go. Back the way I ca!’
Boom! Boom!
The Rock Giant, controlled by my telekinesis, began to stride powerfully along the tracks.
Even though it was a hasty creation, its joints functioned surprisingly well, allowing it to quickly traverse the underground tunnel.
“T-Team Leader! There’s sothing strange here…!”
“R-Requesting backup! Sothing bizarre has appeared in the tracks! Agh!”
“What kind of force is this…!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The first Rock Giant I created smashed through anything in its path.
Of course, if it collided directly with soone at full speed, they’d be reduced to pulp. I secretly used telekinesis to push them aside without drawing attention.
Standing at three ters tall, the giant’s overwhelming size and unstoppable montum sowed chaos among the police entering the tunnel.
Despite their preparations, they couldn’t stop my sudden charge.
However, just as I was speeding forward, I felt an ominous surge of power behind .
“Everyone, step aside! Prokella!”
Boom!
A tempest tore through the underground tracks, rushing straight at with enough force to obliterate half the Rock Giant on impact.
Magic. Its terrifying power sent shivers down my spine.
But I wasn’t worried. I was sprinting along the tracks at full speed, which ant…
I could use the ballast rocks beneath !
‘Block it!’
As the Rock Giant slamd its foot into the ground, I used telekinesis to raise the ballast rocks, creating a multi-ter-thick wall in the air.
The spinning tempest collided with the wall of rocks, which spun in the opposite direction to neutralize its force.
The devastating spell ground against the rock wall before dissipating into harmless fragnts.
“W-What the….”
“The Team Leader’s magic…!”
The police’s carefully prepared spell had been stopped so easily.
After that, the police formation completely collapsed, unable to resist the unstoppable Rock Giant.
Once the blockade was breached, the rest was a straight shot.
With no trains on the tracks, I charged forward on the empty rails, quickly reaching the outside.
‘I did it…! I really took a crazy gamble, but it worked.’
The Rock Giant I created was an unstoppable juggernaut by civilian standards, but if Alice had been present, it would’ve been nothing more than a minor obstacle that she could easily cleave in two.
It was pure luck that the wide net the police had cast left a relatively weak point open for to exploit.
Still, soone might wonder: if I was so concerned about concealing my identity, why was I rampaging so recklessly?
Of course, even this was part of a carefully calculated plan.
Think about it. My concerns could be boiled down to two major issues:
1- My identity being exposed and becoming a fugitive in the city.
2- Anser being falsely blad as the sole perpetrator of the entire incident.
Rampaging openly with the Rock Giant was, ironically, the only way to address both problems at once.
As long as I carefully concealed the link between myself and the Rock Giant, I could naturally slip out of the encirclent.
‘Now’s my chance, while no one’s watching!’
As soon as I exited the underground tracks, I tumbled out from the back of the Rock Giant and hid myself between nearby buildings.
anwhile, I kept the Rock Giant moving forward like a runaway train.
However, the farther away I got, the weaker and less precise my telekinetic control beca.
‘Just a little… a little more….’
I gritted my teeth, clinging to my connection with the Rock Giant while remaining hidden.
Please, let soone, anyone, intercept it!
Perhaps my desperate wish reached the heavens, for soone stepped forward to confront the advancing Rock Giant.
It was none other than the man I had encountered earlier: Ethan.
“Stop, Giant. Surrender and halt where you stand.”
“….”
“Oh, so that’s how it is? Fine. That makes you an accomplice. I’m placing you under arrest for your cris.”
Ethan smirked as the Rock Giant, cradling Anser, ignored his command and continued forward.
He pulled out a baton—standard issue for law enforcent—from his belt.
“Ethan, Team Leader of Special Unit 3. I’ve encountered a suspect fleeing with an accomplice. Location: the tunnel entrance. I’ll attempt to apprehend them; requesting backup.”
Boom! Boom!
The Rock Giant charged down the tracks with a nacing presence, rapidly closing the distance to Ethan.
At this rate, he would be caught in its massive montum and severely injured—or worse.
Yet, Ethan calmly continued his radio call, seemingly unbothered.
Just as the Rock Giant reached him, Ethan swung his baton upward with all his might.
CRACK!
The multi-ton Giant was lifted off the ground in a single blow.
Ethan smoothly caught the airborne Anser, who had slipped from the Giant’s grasp, holding her gently in his arms.
Then, with a spinning motion, he drove a powerful kick into the Giant’s torso.
The Rock Giant flew through the air, crashing into an empty area off the tracks and crumbling into rubble.
It was an unbelievable feat of strength for a single human.
I had suspected he was strong, but this… this was on another level. He actually did it?
“Why do you keep making my life difficult?” Ethan muttered. “Team Leader Ethan, suspects secured. Let HQ know.”
With Anser limp in his arms, Ethan strode toward the collapsed Giant.
“Two suspects,” he said.
It seed he considered the Giant a type of humanoid, possibly a subhuman.
Well, it was a reasonable assumption.
If the Giant had been a golem, it would’ve exuded traces of magic. But a moving rock Giant with no magical signature?
Without context, anyone would assu it was a kind of stone creature.
‘Now!’
As Ethan approached the Rock Giant, I finally released my telekinetic hold.
The Giant began to crumble from the edges inward, its form collapsing like a lting body.
Ethan furrowed his brow at the bizarre sight.
“What… is this?”
Clang.
A small shard of tal fell from the Giant’s remains, landing with a hollow sound.
It was the Invader fragnt that had been embedded in Anser’s chest earlier.
Now drained of its power, it looked like a simple, inert piece of tal.
However, if the lab analyzed it, they’d likely realize it was connected to the Invaders.
This discovery might lead the police to deduce that Anser hadn’t acted alone, but had been used by so outside force.
She could go from being a criminal to being recognized as a victim exploited in a larger sche.
‘If that happens… phew, that’d be ideal.’
Once I saw Ethan pick up the Invader fragnt, I quietly slipped away.
This was the best I could do. What happens next is out of my hands.
If things go wrong from here… well, there’s nothing more I can do.
The snow continued to fall from the sky.
I wondered how long this winter would last.
At least the snow helped obscure as I made my way back to the Crowley Problem-Solvers’ office without drawing attention.
“Y-Yuria!”
“….”
Near the office, in an empty park, Sabrina was waiting on a bench.
Her ears and nose were bright red from the cold as she scrolled through the news on her device.
The news reported that the bombs planted at the station had been fully defused, and the subway was operational again. The situation was completely resolved on that end.
“H-How did it go?”
“…!”
In response to Sabrina’s question, I removed my dust-covered tablecloth, gave her an awkward smile, and offered a cautious thumbs-up.
It was my way of saying, “Mission accomplished, more or less.”
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