I Became the Cute One in the Troubleshooter Squad-Chapter 146: Surviving in the Sky Garden (9)

My telekinetic power didn’t require such complex sensations.

It was more like stretching an invisible, transparent hand from my body to grab onto objects.

Of course, rather than a hand, it was more like a slime without a clear form, but I was explaining it this way to make it easier to understand.

Anyway, this meant that my telekinesis inevitably had limitations in range and speed. To grab something far away, I would inevitably have to send my energy over a greater distance.

And that inevitably led to a loss of control and precision. It was like how, the longer the chopsticks, the harder it becomes to pick something up.

But, if we think of it the other way, we can also interpret it like this: The closer something is to me, the better my telekinetic abilities perform!

"Whoa...! Something appeared out of thin air..."

"Ugh, it’s sharp and black! It’s creepy!"

Crack! It took no more than about two seconds to create a barrier that enveloped everyone in our group. And almost at the same time the barrier was completed, countless objects were tightly gripped by my telekinesis.

I could roughly count several dozen with just a quick glance. If the barrier had been even a little late, I shuddered to think what could have happened. I moved my gaze, secretly breaking into a cold sweat, trying to locate the attackers.

Meanwhile, did Murmur realize why the objects stopped in mid-air? With a somewhat flustered expression, he showed a startled reaction.

"T-this is... an ambush! That’s impossible, I never miss detecting magic’s presence...!"

"...."

This isn’t magic? It came flying at me with killing intent, without a sound.

I felt confused, and, just in case, I kept ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the barrier intact while pulling the black object trapped in the air closer to me using telekinesis.

‘This... is a thorn?’

It was a black thorn, about the size of a finger, with a vicious-looking form.

Its sole purpose seemed to be to wound people. It was rough in texture overall, but the tip was surprisingly sharp.

And as if it had been soaked in some kind of contaminated substance, the surface was sticky. Intuitively, if I hadn’t raised the barrier, I could almost picture the terrifying consequences.

‘This erratic shape can’t be used like a bullet, so I thought it must be magic... but then, what is it? It was certainly moving at near-supersonic speed.’

It was an ambush that wasn’t magic or science. That familiar resonance felt strangely off.

Could there be another psychic in this Sky Garden, besides me? I thought to myself, clenching my lips in a rather serious expression.

The lineup was already extravagant to the point of being overwhelming. If an invader were involved, I couldn’t even imagine what the aftermath would be.

But was this worry unnecessary, I wondered? Suddenly, something shot up from the ground about ten steps away.

It was a monster, nearly 2 meters tall, covered in fur.

"Kekekek! To think you noticed my ambush! I heard fairies have special abilities, and I guess that’s true! What an interesting species!"

"...."

The furry monster laughed a creepy laugh as it spoke. Could it be some kind of mole-man? Its body was caked in dirt, making it look pretty filthy.

...But why was it so bold in revealing itself and admitting to the ambush? At least, it seemed there was no need to search for the culprit this time.

Did Murmur also grasp the situation in that short moment? He shouted at the furry monster, as if enraged by the fact that one of his kin had been attacked.

"You... what are you doing?!"

"Kekek! Well asked! I am the modified human created by the great Olvis-sama! Through alchemy, my bones and flesh have become the ultimate lifeform, a new member of the Seven Elite Guards... Gelshp! I was ordered by Olvis-sama to bring the corpse of a fairy! Kekek! There are so many fairies here, I must be lucky!"

Gelshp, whose face was completely covered in fur, showed his sharp claws and drooled.

Since there were more than ten fairies here due to our ongoing rescue efforts, it must have been the perfect opportunity for him to target.

By the way, did he just say Seven Elite Guards? If so, despite his appearance, he was definitely not someone to be underestimated.

In the Liberation Army, there was the Commander-in-Chief at the top. And beneath him, there were the seven highest officers known as the Seven Elite Guards. Below the Seven Elite Guards, there were their trusted subordinates, the Elite Guard Corps.

Each of them had varying levels of skill, but on average, they were top-tier triple-numbered fixers. Their abilities, like those of the Vita Verta sisters I met before, could definitely be considered genuine.

‘And if he's a modified human created through alchemy... I can roughly guess the identity of those thorns that came at me at bullet-speed.’

Gelshp’s long, drawn-out monologue made me unconsciously snicker.

To think he explained all his information like this. I almost felt like crying tears of gratitude.

However, Murmur, unlike me, didn’t seem as carefree. He looked rather agitated, as if facing an annoying bug.

"The Seven Elite Guards... Could this whole act be the work of the Inter-species Liberation Army?!" "Geck? Oh dear, I made another slip-up. Well, it doesn’t matter! Either way, you’re all going to become corpses here! Gehak! I’ll throw you away with my defense magic!"

Crack! Gelshp wrapped his arms around his body. It looked like he was hugging himself in an awkward posture.

Then, disturbingly, something black began to sprout from between his fur. It was, as expected, a sharp black thorn that shot out, aiming for my group.

It was the same as a shotgun blast, fired from Gelshp’s altered body. No wonder Murmur, who was more sensitive to magic than anyone, couldn’t detect it.

"Did you think I’d leave you alone?!"

Of course, if it was a battle of firepower, we weren’t going to lose. Murmur’s magic was powerful enough to obliterate giant zombies. No matter how elite the guard corps was, they wouldn’t survive the merciless steel rain created by Murmur’s magic.

But the problem was that the response had come too late. Murmur needed to generate the weapon and send it off in two steps, while Gelshp had already shot out the thorns from his body instantly!

Had the fairies who were clinging to me noticed this fact too? They all showed different reactions based on their personalities and cheered on Murmur, who had stepped forward.

"I-I can’t watch!"

"Uuuu... It’s scaryyyy..."

"Murmur, go! Fight hard!"

They looked like commoners cheering for a superhero. In fact, Murmur alone was far stronger than all the combined efforts of the fairies. Maybe, in a way, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

But even though they were trembling, none of the fairies tried to escape. It was lucky, since moving too far from me would make it hard for me to protect them.

"Hoo, hoo... I’ll protect Yuria!"

Meanwhile, Chiriloo slipped out of my arms and spread her arms wide. With tears in her eyes, her terrified expression was quite cute.

Did she want to protect me? It was truly admirable, but I didn’t think it would be much help. If anyone was going to protect, it should be me protecting her.

‘Well... whatever. It’s already over.’

I muttered that to myself and stomped the ground with my toes, forming an image in my mind.

At that signal, my telekinetic power, which had infiltrated the ground, surged upwards. The telekinesis wrapped around Gelshp’s body and tightly gripped the thorns that were about to shoot out.

Now, imagine this: If a pitcher, putting everything into their throw, created a strong wall right in front of their hand just before letting go of the ball, what would happen?

The pitcher’s hand would be utterly shattered, right?

But what if the speed reached over 150 kilometers per hour, close to a bullet’s speed? And what if there were not one, but dozens of them?

This is what would happen.

"Geck? Gaaahhh!"

Suddenly, blood burst from Gelshp’s body as he felt an overwhelming sense of discomfort. The force that should have been directed outward exploded inside his body.

It felt like a lot of gunpowder exploding inside his body. No matter how much of a modified human Gelshp was, he couldn’t withstand that.

"Die!"

"Kii, kkiiieeek!"

But Gelshp’s pain didn’t end there. It was followed by Murmur’s magic, which had been completed a beat later.

The magical weapon, filled with enough force to shake the ground itself, was the final blow to Gelshp, who had no time to even think about defending.

"Geck, ge... Gelshp... to die like this..."

Well, who told you to introduce yourself so casually in front of a psychic? I shook my head as I looked at Gelshp, whose body was covered in red fur, as he let out his dying words.

And as I thought, a member of the Seven Elite Guards was something I, or even Murmur, could defeat alone.

As long as we didn’t get ambushed by someone who relied on magic detection like Murmur, Gelshp had already lost the moment he revealed himself.

"Awesome! We defeated the bad guy in one go!"

"But why did he suddenly get such a big wound? Did he make a mistake?"

"No, I’m sure he got scared after seeing Murmur’s terrifying magic!"

The fairies, who were commentating and analyzing, discussed the pitiful sight of Gelshp.

They didn’t see the invisible form of my telekinesis, so to them, it looked like Gelshp suddenly started bleeding and fell.

I didn’t care about being praised. I hugged the bewildered Chiriloo again and got ready to move to the next location.

But did Murmur, being sharp, realize what had happened with Gelshp? He turned to look at me with an expression of disbelief and spoke.

"Did... did you do that just now?"

"...?"

"Don’t pretend you didn’t... Tch, I guess this isn’t the time for that conversation."

I’ll make sure to get you to admit it later! Murmur said that as he snapped the dazed fairy back to their senses.

Sky Garden was full of fairies who needed help. We couldn’t afford to relax until everyone’s safety was ensured.

"Let’s go! Don’t fall behind, you hear!"

"Yes!" "I trust you...! Hooah!"

"Whoa! The ground is shaking!"

Boom! At that moment, a bright flash of light burst from the distance, forcing me to squint my eyes shut. Then, a meteor shower fell from the sky, followed by a massive sword wind cutting through it.

It was a terrifying sight, one that felt like the end of the world. Even Murmur, who was leading the group, looked horrified.

'It’s starting... The full-scale battle between the fixers and the Liberation Army...!'

I wasn’t sure if the fight would end first or if Sky Garden would be destroyed first. Still maintaining my composure, I shook Murmur’s shoulder to snap him out of his daze.

We couldn’t help them from here. So, we should focus on what we can do. That’s basically what I meant.

"Ugh, yeah... thanks."

"...!"

I strengthened my resolve and quietly looked at some distant spot in Sky Garden.

I hope Alice and David don’t get hurt before securing the Seed of the World Tree. At this moment, that was my most desperate prayer.