Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 105: Again and Again

After Kaiser’s daunting declaration, a Fog Predator fell from the sky, its wings torn by arrows. Anna immediately took her spear and killed it.

Just like that, breakfast was provided. While resting, they enjoyed the meal, completely devouring the meat before night arrived.

As the darkness slowly overcame the light, Kaiser spoke.

"Do not go all out. Merely repeat what we did yesterday."

Anna folded her hands, "Why do you say so?"

Kaiser responded with a shrug. "I’m still testing."

The rumblings interrupted them, and the island began repairing itself. The statues rose up, their stone bodies moving smoothly.

As soon as the repair mechanism ceased, the three of them attacked. They adopted the same formation as they did yesterday.

Kaiser and Anna attacked, while Alex supported them from behind. They didn’t waste much time fighting the regular statues, and arrived at the angel’s location swiftly.

Once again, Kaiser engaged it alone. Meanwhile, Alex and Anna worked together to keep the other statues at bay.

Bang!

Kaiser’s fist connected with the angel’s palm. His arm went numb, his bones rattling. He quickly attacked with the other arm, aiming for the neck.

His attack was blocked by a wing, making the hand sting. Ignoring the pain he felt, he fought the angel. Sometimes he struck with superior speed, sometimes with superhuman strength.

Yet, the angel blocked every single time.

’There has to be a weakness somewhere. A source mechanism or a joint that controls all others.’

He tried to find it during the fight, but failed to. A heavy punch sent him flying through the air. He landed in a crouch, but his arms were already broken from blocking the punch.

He used his teeth to reset the bones, then signaled to Anna. The young woman clenched her jaw upon seeing his condition.

She immediately grabbed him and her tired sister, then dived into the underground cavern.

Before the statues could rush over, she pulled the lid and covered the opening. She made her way to the dried sticks prepared beforehand, then lit them up.

"Crazy bastard!" She muttered under her breath, rushing over to the injured boy. "What now? You got your arms broken!"

Kaiser laid on the ground, his face expressionless. He didn’t even look like someone with broken and bleeding arms.

Without turning his head, his eyes shifted to look at her. "You look worried. Save it for your sister. She needs to work on her stamina."

Anna clenched her fists, restraining the urge to punch him in the face.

"Idiot."

She spat, then begrudgingly set his arms properly. Even as the bones made sickening sounds, Kaiser didn’t even wince. He looked...

’... used to it.’

Sighing, Anna noticed he had closed his eyes, and his breathing already regulated. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she laid on the ground beside him.

Before long, she also fell asleep. Only the cackling of the bonfire remained. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

...

The next day arrived, and Kaiser once again hunted another Fog Predator for them to eat. His broken arms had healed, though he still felt little pain once in a while.

He then taught Alex some light exercises to increase her shooting speed. At first, the girl was unwilling to listen. But when she realized he had a deep mastery of archery, she conceded and became his student.

Anna merely loitered around, her face lacking its usual smirk. No one bothered to ask her what was wrong. Kaiser already knew, while Alex thought it was the severity of their current predicament.

Eventually, nighttime arrived. They once again engaged the statues in a losing battle. Kaiser fought the angel statue longer this time, until he was forced to back down after dislocating a shoulder.

...

This cycle repeated itself for days, turning into a full week. At this point, Alex was already mentally exhausted.

She stared blankly into the air, "Am I the only one going insane?"

The process of repeating the same exhausting action for seven days had numbed her mind.

Anna comforted her with a weary smile. "You’re not going insane. You’re just tired. Sleep, my dear."

The girl’s eyes turned watery, but she held in her tears and nodded. After she fell asleep, Anna’s expression hardened, and she turned to confront Kaiser.

"You—"

The instant she saw his condition, all her anger was snuffed out. He sat on the ground, his back laid on the wall. His armor had been dismissed, and he was covered in blood. He really looked like he was going to die.

Slowly and painfully, he raised his head to look at her. Beneath his eyes were deep dark circles.

Those beautiful blue eyes had turned dull, almost black. Anyone who didn’t see him move would think he was already dead.

Parting his lips, he spoke hoarsely. "Tomorrow will be the last day."

Anna’s lips trembled. "How are you so sure?"

Kaiser remained silent for a while, then said quietly. "I have completed my simulations."

’Simulation?’ She wanted to ask him what that meant, but realized he had fallen unconscious.

Looking at the young boy before her, Anna felt an indescribable emotion in her heart.

’He’s so... unyielding—like a defeated dog always rising.’

Her fists clenched by her side. ’And what’s with that strange emptiness in his gaze? It looks like... this is not his first time doing something this crazy.’

She immediately shook her head. Perhaps she was overthinking it. The boy was just a highly skilled, attractive, emotionally detached Awakened.

Cringing from those adjectives she used to describe him, she decided to retire for the night. She laid beside him, watching the shadows dance around the bonfire.

’I’ll trust you, Kaiser.’

She would have faith, and believe he would break this loop.

...

The next morning, Anna woke up quite late. The light that spilled in through the opening made her squint. She sat up, then looked around. Her sister was already awake, quietly gnawing on some roasted meat.

Kaiser had risen early and had hunted a Winged Serpent for them to eat. The scent of the roasted meat was what woke her up.

"You are...?"

She blinked, staring at the young man before her. He looked nothing like the broken boy from yesterday. Those dull, lifeless eyes had regained their color, looking clear and bright.

Kaiser cut a part of the roasted meat, then offered it to her with a smile.

"Let’s leave this island today, okay?"