Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 114: Chaos on the Bridge

Kaiser stepped onto the wide concrete bridge, his steps unhurried. He noticed the seemingly inconspicuous men walking ahead of him, and those who walked past him only to turn around after some distance—tailing him.

The fog here was a bit faint, and he could see the massive structure of the Main Island in the distance. It was ten times larger than the other islands he had been crossing.

To be clear, he was a little amazed that something so enormous could stay suspended in the air. He was quite curious about what runic sorcery powered the whole Aether Skies.

’I’ll add that to my to do list.’

He summoned his storage bag, making those around him tense. Ignoring their micro-reaction, he took out a little jotter, then added to the list. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

|12. Understand the sorcery powering the Aether Skies.|

Once he was done, he closed the book and dismissed the storage bag.

He continued walking down the bridge calmly, as if not noticing anything amiss. At that moment, the number of Hunters heading towards the Main Island had risen up to more than a score.

Suddenly, Kaiser stopped right in the middle of the bridge. Those walking ahead and behind him also stopped, seemingly checking their equipments.

"Boring."

Kaiser sighed and attacked without ceremony. The Hunter closest to him was caught off guard. Before he could even access his element or use his ability, his head had been stabbed through.

[You have slain...]

Blood spurted from the wound, splashing onto Kaiser’s armor. The blue-haired boy ignored it and attacked another one.

This person was already alert, immediately channeling essence into her nodes. She raised her palms, ready to send a bolt of lightning at him.

Before she could, Kaiser grabbed her wrist, then jabbed two fingers into her shoulder. The girl froze, then cried out in pain. The force node in her shoulder had been cracked, disrupting her strong attack.

Kaiser raised a leg and delivered a powerful kick to her head.

She stumbled forward, falling onto the blade of another person’s spear.

"Careful! He’s strong! We have to work together!"

Someone shouted, charging at him with his axe raised. Kaiser deflected the attack with minimal effort, then dodged the claw swipe of a wolf-like monster.

’Oh? A tamed beast?’

He turned around, throwing a straight kick to knock away an enemy’s weapon. Another kick knocked the tamed beast off the bride, sending it into the abyss.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed and his instincts flared. A heavy, intangible force grabbed hold of him, keeping him frozen in place.

"I got him. Now go!" Someone shouted hurriedly.

Kaiser watched the other Awakened humans rush towards him, disappointment flashing in his eyes.

’Freedom from Constraint.’

The intangible force holding him shattered, and he moved unhindered. Those attacking him were surprised, but it was too late to retreat.

Blood spurted in the air, and an arm dropped to the ground. The arm’s owner whimpered, falling on his butt and scrambling backwards.

"Arrogant brat!"

A chubby woman with more fat than muscles yelled as she attacked him. Kaiser slipped into her guard, then struck her with a punch.

Her obese body rippled, but only moved back a few steps.

"Oh?"

Kaiser was impressed, while the woman grew confident. Before she could register the thoughts of tanking his attacks, Kaiser rained a flurry of punches on her, each hit heavier than the last.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The woman was forced back repeatedly, until she couldn’t handle it and threw up blood.

"Khack!"

A short scream left her mouth as Kaiser kicked the same spot he had been punching. Finally, the woman collapsed to the ground.

"Not so durable. Disappointing."

Kaiser shook his head, then leaned to the side. Two arrows shot past him, striking an unprepared Awakened before him.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by a team of five. A tanker, an assassin, a swordsman, an archer, and a sorcerer.

"Don’t blame us, Kid. You’re fated to die by the hands of the Cosmic Mercenaries."

Kaiser gave them a blank stare, then said. "Oh."

Boom!

The sorcerer attacked first, throwing a ball of fire from his staff relic. Kaiser blocked with a wall of darkness, then struck the tanker.

The lady hurriedly raised her shield, tensing her arms as she withstood his sword strike.

The swordsman immediately attacked, displaying a set of flashy, interconnected moves.

Kaiser parried them all with ease, reading into the attacks before they were even executed.

"Good! You’re strong!"

The swordsman grinned, then activated his ability. His muscles swelled, and his strength doubled.

Clang!

Kaiser slid back after blocking an attack, a look of astonishment on his face. He effortlessly dodged the archer’s arrows, focusing on the swordsman.

"This is getting... entertaining." He whispered, then attacked with sharper intent. Their swords clashed at high speed, sending sparks through the air. A clean strike narrowly missed Kaiser’s eyes, cutting a few strands of his hair.

Unfazed, he retaliated with a fierce punch on the swordsman’s breastplate, denting it. They entered a brief pause, then clashed again.

Clang!

The other mercenaries that had come to hunt Kaiser for the bounty could only pause and wait, unable to interrupt. Those two were moving too fast for anyone to interfere.

"Is that the legendary Knight of Samsara?" Someone asked, amazed by the swordsman’s skill.

"Yes." Another Awakened answered him. "That guy is the strongest mercenary at the Awakened Realm, in the Wuhan Federation."

"Damn. He’s definitely going to get the rewards." Someone said dejectedly, "Wait. Is it me, or that Kaiser guy’s body is smoking?"

An aged man with a thin sword on his shoulder answered calmly.

"That is a phenomenon that occurs when a person is about to exceed his physical limitations. Looks like this will end soon."

Just as the remaining mercenaries were contemplating whether to join or wait, the battle stopped abruptly.

Unremarkable Sword was embedded into the Knight of Samsara’s heart, and his lifeless body leaned against Kaiser.

The boy pushed the man’s body off him, then turned to the other members of the Cosmic Mercenaries.

What happened next was a bloodbath. Like an unrestrained, wild beast, Kaiser tore through the ragtag group of mercenaries, killing them all with nothing but physical strength.

No ability whatsoever was able to stop him, and the only wounds he sustained were minor cuts. Covered in blood, he resumed walking towards the Main Island.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Someone clapped behind him, the sound crisp and clear.

"Very impressive. Such a frightening boy."

A weak, aged voice spoke to him.

Kaiser turned slightly, his blue eyes carrying nothing but emptiness. He didn’t say a word, completely expressionless. Slowly, he unsheathed Virtuous Sorrow, gripping the blade tightly.

’This... will be troublesome.’

He could already sense that the old man with a hunched back was already at the Evolved Realm.

’Well, doesn’t matter—Just one more corpse.’