Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 129: Transformation...?
Liam was quietly enjoying a movie with his girlfriend when he received a frantic message from Kim about the current situation. Immediately, the romantic atmosphere was dispelled and he hurriedly left the movie theater with Kiera.
"Where are they? And why would that idiot from Class-C pick a fight with us?"
The girl asked irritatedly, her silver hair fluttering behind her.
Her date with her boyfriend was going smoothly, but some jerk just had to ruin it. Her displeasure was understandable.
Liam narrowed his brows in worry. "It’s Apollo we’re talking about. He’s always trying to sabotage other classes. I just hope Logan is fine."
They soon arrived at the Training Facility, following Kim’s direction to the location of the duel. Students from Class-E, Class-A, and Class-C were present, all staring at the stage with varying expressions. However, it was very obvious that the mood was dark and heavy.
Immediately Liam set his eyes on Logan’s figure sprawled on the ground, his eyes reddened with rage. Even Kiera was stunned, her eyes filled with shock, worry, and sympathy.
"This bastard-!"
He cursed under his breath, restraining the urge to interfere and personally pummel Apollo. However, he knew he couldn’t do that or the class might be penalized for breaking the rules.
So he turned to Instructor Myke, who was supervising the duel, to complain.
However, before he could say a word, he sensed a shift in the atmosphere. Alert, he turned back to the stage.
Logan’s fingers twitched and he began to rise. Liam frowned slightly. ’Isn’t he supposed to give up by now?’
It was foolish to keep fighting a futile battle. There was nothing to gain.
Beside him, Kiera’s nose twitched. She stared at Logan’s figure, feeling a sense of discomfort wash over her.
’What the heck? Why am I uncomfortable?’
She didn’t know why, but she suddenly disliked the smell of Logan. Her eyes widened. ’How did I... recognize his scent?’
Slowly, her surprise cooled into a cold revelation. ’Is he... a...?’
President Anthony also frowned, his expression turning grave. From what he could perceive, a chaotic energy was fueling Logan’s body and powering him for a violent eruption.
’Not allowed. That won’t be safe for both of them.’
He concluded, then blurred from his position. He reappeared right before Logan’s rising figure, then delivered a light chop to his neck.
The boy’s figure collapsed, falling into the President’s arms.
"The duel ends here. Apollo wins."
He declared, his blindfolded gaze sweeping across the stunned students. They hadn’t expected him to interfere, and couldn’t even react to his movements.
The only person who could react was Instructor Myke, and he wasn’t so pleased.
"Student Council President! You’re crossing boundaries here!" He said sternly, his smile disappearing from his face.
President Anthony turned to him calmly, Logan slung over his shoulder.
"I have my reasons, Instructor. You can report to the disciplinary committee if you wish."
Saying that, he suddenly appeared before Hazel, startling her. Without giving her the chance to speak, he passed Logan’s unconscious body to her.
"Take him to the school hospital. They should be able to restore him to normal."
Hazel nodded blankly, speechless and mesmerized. Her gaze remained on his back even as he left the Training Facility.
’He’s really the strongest student.’
"Come on, Hazel. Let’s go."
Liam’s voice snapped her back to reality, and she immediately turned to the body she was holding. Ariel appeared beside her, then offered to carry the boy to the hospital.
With the available students of Class-E surrounding them, they left the Training Facility too.
.....
In this present era, three main categories of forces dominated the world. The first was the Nation Leaders—Kings, Emperors, Presidents, or even Governors. These were the people that ruled their respective nations, and had the greatest authority there.
The second category was the Clans. They were purely familial, and mainly valued biological connections. They ruled their specific domains, becoming forces that even the Nation Leaders respected.
Lastly, the third category was the Nirad Hunter Guilds. They were organizations, solely dedicated to clearing Nirad Dungeons and closing Nirad Gates. Some guilds were founded by the government of some nations, while some were entirely private, owned by a single high-ranking individual.
These three categories of forces had the greatest influence in the Nirad Realm. Although the Clans and the governmental forces were more territorial, the guilds were the most widespread.
They were everywhere in the named regions of the Nirad Realm—always hunting, gathering relics, and studying ruins. Because of this, they were the most common group anyone could run into while traveling.
In the Main Island’s Northern Region, a skilled team from a reputable guild was having lunch, sitting on toppled ruins of ancient buildings.
The artificial sun was high in the sky, shining intensely that it could make ice melt in minutes.
"Huh. Tiger, I feel this sun is actually enough to fry a chicken. We don’t need your fire ability anymore."
One of them said, munching on the roasted thighs of a creature.
The others laughed, while the man in question only shook his head with a smile.
Suddenly, his smile disappeared, and he looked to the side. His pet, a tamed Awakened hound had stood up and was growling.
He immediately turned to check the source of the hound’s alertness.
"Guys, we’ve got company—a Desert Worm."
The others showed serious expressions, abandoning their meals and picking up their weapons. They were familiar with this region, and had encountered Desert Worms several times in the past. The creatures were famous because they had large bodies and could burrow underground to escape from attacks. Another common trait was their act of always swallowing their preys whole.
"This is going to be annoying to deal with."
Thankfully, the team of six was strong, with three Rank 3 Evolved among them. The others were Rank 1 Evolved, veterans in the field of combat.
As the sand kicked up and the enormous creature approached them, their archer fired a whistling arrow.
The whistle was sharp and piercing, but they had gotten used to it. The arrow struck the creature’s body and sank into its flesh. The next moment, blue lightning erupted from the half-stuck arrow, completely enveloping the creature.
Making a pained scream, the creature burst out from the ground, revealing its full body to the team.
