Chapter 76
"Whoaaaah!"
Kait faced Segari Gug head-on as he barreled through the trees. He was slammed into a tree from the force, but thanks to his barrier, he felt neither pain nor impact. In fact, it was George and Carlos nearby who screamed.
Segari Gug must have realized that, as he clicked his tongue and swung his arm. His arm struck the barrier and bounced off uselessly.
Since he wasn't riding Queen Bee, Kait's psychic power wasn't amplified. Still, even without amplification, Segari Gug's strikes couldn't break through Kait's barrier.
George, initially confused by the sudden battle, started running toward Kait—whether he understood the situation or not. He left Carlos behind. Give me a break.
"I-I'll help, Captain Tait!"
"Forget it. Grab Carlos and get to the ship. And don't even think about firing the Psionic Launcher."
"Why not!?"
"Do you have any guarantee you can take him down with one shot?"
"Its power is no joke! It could easily destroy a ship, you know!"
"That's impressive. But that's not the issue. The question is—are you confident you can land a direct hit on that heavy tank?"
Segari Gug was not only heavy but fast. If he wasn't close enough, he'd dodge it. But if he was too close, he could reach the barrel.
Kait didn't believe George was skilled enough with the Psionic Launcher to judge that distance precisely.
"And if you miss, what then? You expect me to fight that thing while dragging you and Carlos who can't even move?"
"Ugh."
"I appreciate the offer, but right now, the best move is for all of us to escape. Go, now!"
"O-Okay!"
If he missed or misadjusted the power, it would be a problem. It would cause destruction the intelligent life on this planet had never seen. If it involved nearby fighters, the trauma would be unimaginable.
Kait clearly gave up on counting George as a combat asset, assigning him only the task of escaping with Carlos. George seemed to understand, grabbing Carlos's hand and running. All Kait could do now was hope they didn't get lost. Seriously.
"Well, I'll do that... huh!"
Segari Gug didn't particularly blame them for their decision. He just picked up a small rock at his feet and threw it at George and Carlos.
The two, fleeing with single-minded focus, didn't notice the thrown rock. It was blocked by a barrier set up behind them.
"Sticky fingers aren't a good look."
"...You're one to talk."
Kait grabbed a nearby tree branch, charged it with psychic power, and hurled it. It pierced Segari Gug's right wrist. It hit the gap between the armor plates, but he didn't seem to feel any pain.
Even when the branch was pulled out, there wasn't a drop of blood. Kait was curious about this alien's internal structure, but it seemed that only a hit to a vital spot would cause real damage.
"An absurdly tough barrier and an ability similar to those Terapolapaneshio folks, huh. Are you really a fake?"
"What do you think?"
"...Nah, doesn't matter once it's started. Sorry, just a moment of doubt."
"Yeah."
Segari Gug gave a slight shake of his head and charged again. Kait caught him with the barrier, but he didn't stop. Since it was a spherical barrier, Kait couldn't brace himself properly.
For a moment, Kait considered disabling the barrier—but rejected the idea. Even without it, he couldn't stop that mass and momentum. He worried Segari Gug might be going after George and Carlos, but their presence was moving away. That was a relief, for now.
However, Kait had forgotten something at that moment—there were others on this planet besides them.
"!?"
Multiple lifeforms were approaching. No—that was wrong. Kait and Segari Gug were the ones approaching them.
This is bad. Kait quickly gathered his thoughts and temporarily disabled the barrier. With the pressure gone, Segari Gug stumbled forward a step.
"Take this!"
He accelerated his knee and slammed it into Segari Gug's incoming face.
As the head snapped back, Kait lifted his body and dodged the grabbing hand. Segari Gug must've expected a hit from the beginning. Tough as he was, it still looked like he took some damage.
"Tch."
"That was risky. If he'd grabbed me, I think he would've snapped me in half."
"...Keep talking."
Segari Gug cracked his jaw with a loud click. The movement made it clear the attack hadn't done much.
Hand-to-hand combat wasn't Kait's specialty to begin with. Ideally, he'd prefer to take him out from a distance using psychic power—but this situation didn't allow that luxury.
"Done using the barrier?"
"I still can, but I'd rather not destroy this planet's environment too much."
"...I see. That's right, this is a Federation observation planet, isn't it. Huh."
As if something clicked, Segari Gug looked around. He was a seasoned villain, after all—quick on the uptake. He'd noticed.
"Fighting you kind of kills the mood, but I've got a job to do too. Guess I'll use this to my advantage."
"You think I'll let you?"
"Well, I can't do it alone. But unlike you, I've got numbers on my side."
Kait had expected that. He already sensed one presence nervously trailing behind them.
"Damian! Go grab one of the locals from around here!"
"Y-Yes, boss!"
Tch. A small click of the tongue. Kait knew where Damian was, but he couldn't just leave Segari Gug unattended. If he went after Damian, Segari Gug would pull the same move. And honestly, Segari Gug had the higher success rate—and was more dangerous.
He had to make a decision quickly. If he could just neutralize Segari Gug, Damian alone wouldn't be much trouble even if he had a hostage.
"Close-quarters combat isn't my specialty, though."
"Don't lie."
"It's true, really!"
Even that accelerated knee strike couldn't deliver damage deep into Segari Gug's body. Knowing it was useless, Kait still kicked the armor—but it didn't budge. The armor was tough, and so was everything beneath it.
He decided to copy Segari Gug's earlier move. He picked up several small rocks at his feet and focused power into them. When the rocks began to glow red-hot, the monster in front of him finally showed a change in expression.
"You've gotta be kidding me...!"
"Not really. If you don't want to die, you'd better avoid your vitals."
With a snap of his fingers, he launched them. Three bullets flew toward Segari Gug's torso.
Despite his bulky appearance, he was fast. He dodged two, but the third struck his left shoulder directly.
A metallic clang rang out. The armor on his left shoulder cracked, and the rock bullet shattered.
"A direct hit and just a crack? That's some ridiculous durability."
"Hot, damn it! Damn it, are you really bad at melee combat?"
Segari Gug groaned, holding his left shoulder. A faint burnt smell reached Kait, indicating the armor had taken some heat damage.
"Alright, next one coming up."
"...Ease up a little, will ya?"
So it worked. In that case, he'd just increase the number.
He didn't bother gathering the rocks at his feet. Instead, he channeled power into all of them. As the stones around Kait floated into the air, they began glowing red one after another.
Segari Gug's voice finally trembled.
Then.
"Freeze right there, Captain Tait!"
"Whoops."
A voice from behind.
When he turned around, Damian was glaring at him with one arm around the neck of a small Lizardman (tentative). The Lizardman child didn't seem to understand what was happening, glancing nervously back and forth between Kait and Segari Gug.
Apparently, what lay ahead was the Lizardman (tentative) settlement. The sounds of commotion could be heard from a little further away.
"Looks like the tables have turned."
"Not quite."
In response to Segari Gug's words, Kait gave a slight smile.