Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 121: Tensed Exchange

Staring at Kaiser, who seemed to only be semi-conscious, the Stormveil Patriarch finally dispersed the subtle pressure he was releasing.

Kaiser’s body, which seemed to have adapted to the pressure, stumbled slightly upon its disappearance. Imperceptibly, the white wheel in his eyes spun faster.

He regained full consciousness, straightening himself casually. He dragged up his dislocated shoulder, then reset a few other broken limbs.

Of course there were still some irreparable damage that couldn’t be handled manually.

"You have awoken."

The Patriarch said calmly, his voice low and heavy. His eyes showed not even a shred of pity for the boy.

Shrugging, Kaiser replied, blood dripping from the side of his mouth.

"Awoken? No." He shook his head, "I am always conscious. That... was a very rude welcome."

His gaze, totally fearless and brazen, bore into the Patriarch’s white eyes.

The man’s lips twitched, his beard quivering. He wasn’t fond of the boy’s tone, but he was quite used to it. After all, this was not his first time interacting with a Solace clan member.

Of course that didn’t mean he was going to back down.

"Do you think I don’t dare to kill you right here?"

Kaiser stiffened slightly, feeling the cold killing intent of this Transcendent human.

His vision swam and he saw a wrecked battlefield. The ground was charred and lightning bolts rained from the heavens. In this space, Kaiser felt infinitely small.

’What a surprise. Combining a malice field with killing intent.’

The white wheel in his eyes turned sharply, and the illusion shattered. It didn’t even last up to a minute.

’Hm? He broke it that fast. Hah... only the System knows how these monsters are built.’

The Patriarch only showed slight surprise, like he had expected this result.

Kaiser stood straight, his eyes calm and unfazed.

"Kill me? The consequences outweigh the profits—so yes, you wouldn’t dare."

Vulpina, watching their exchange in silence, was shocked. She could tell that Kaiser’s life was actually at stake. Her adoptive father rarely revealed his controlled killing intent.

"You analyze quickly." The Patriarch hummed, "Do you think I don’t dare to risk the complete annihilation of the clan in exchange for killing you?"

Kaiser blinked, stunned. Clearly, this man wasn’t bluffing. His tone was full of sincerity and determination.

To the top echelons of the world, Killing a member of the Solace Clan was a death sentence—especially those who had a faction behind them.

Several cases had occurred in the past where a Solace clan member was killed, and the culprit guilds or clans were annihilated down to the last man.

’Yet...’

His lips curled downward. This man was willing to sacrifice his entire clan just to kill him? It seems he had some deep grudges with the Solace Clan.

Of course, Kaiser wasn’t willing to back down just because of this. He noticed something, then conveniently steered the conversation.

"You must have raised her, no?" He struggled to raise his hand and point at Vulpina. "No wonder she was able to define herself and become a genuine article."

This man’s nature must have surely influenced the catkin in becoming what she was today.

With the sudden mention of his adopted daughter, the Patriarch turned his gaze to her.

"You set your sights on Vulpina? What do you want?"

He no longer exuded killing intent, but his voice remained sharp.

Kaiser cracked his neck. "Your daughter possesses a unique quality I’ve been searching for."

His eyes fell upon the girl who had a puzzled expression on her face.

"Unfortunately, I lack the time to properly explore this quality—a shame."

Vulpina frowned. As he spoke, the feeling of being an object enveloped her. That feeling... disgusted her.

Stepping forward, she mercilessly threw a punch towards this stranger.

Pa!

Unexpectedly, Kaiser’s seemingly useless arms moved. He raised his palm, completely intercepting the attack.

’...!!!’

She was stunned. Judging from his condition after facing her adoptive father’s oppressive might, he shouldn’t even be able to stand.

’How the hell can he move? I swear his bones were utterly broken.’

Suddenly, she remembered something she had missed. When she had met him by the terrifying creature’s corpse, his leg was bleeding.

However—

’Throughout the journey, he didn’t seem injured. In fact, he was walking perfectly.’

Her eyes trembled as she stared at him. Was that natural regeneration of an Awakened? She didn’t know, but once again, she reinforced the idea that he was a complete monster.

Kaiser slowly turned to her, cocking his head. He regarded her with a cold, emotionless stare.

"Don’t push your luck. I don’t mind making a genuine article a foe too. It all leads to the same ’end’."

"You..."

Vulpina gulped, a complex emotion flickering in her yellow eyes.

The Stormveil Patriarch spoke, dispersing the charged atmosphere.

"I will only ask you once. For what reason have you come here?"

Kaiser returned his attention to this man.

"Goodness gracious... it is a bit hard to believe I only came here on a whim."

Kaiser pressed ajand to his face, showing disappointment in himself.

"Sigh..." He lowered his head, staring at the ground. "Since I’ve been welcomed badly, I’ll take my leave. There’s nothing particularly interesting in this boring clan of yours."

Vulpina’s brows twitched, but she remained silent. Saying that a clan was boring right in front of their leader, this guy was really brazen.

Unexpectedly, the Patriarch wasn’t offended. He gently pulled his beard with a thoughtful expression, then ordered.

"Vulpina. Get him to one of the guest residences."

While the girl blinked in shock, he turned to the blue-haired boy.

"You are only allowed to stay for two days."

Kaiser clicked his tongue and nodded. Although he claimed he wanted to leave, he still needed time to fully heal. In fact, staying conscious was already taxing on his brain, and he was sure he would pass out soon.

"Goodness gracious..."

Saying that, he fell backwards—collapsing onto the cold ground.

"Huh?"

The pink-and-yellow-haired catkin let out a confused sound, her ears perked.

He... fainted?

His rhythmic breathing made it obvious he was sleeping quite peacefully.

’This bastard...’

Gritting her teeth, she walked up to him and pulled him by his collar.

"I’ll take my leave now, Patriarch."

Without waiting, she dragged him on the ground like garbage while he slept soundly. Her steps seemed somewhat hurried.

Just as she was about to step out, the Patriarch spoke calmly. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Come back here when you’re done. We have a personal issue to resolve."