Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 48: Unless...

"Apollo..." Liam frowned slightly, his expression darkening. The taunt was blatant and insulting. He could almost see smoke brewing from the girls in his group.

Deciding to stop it before it escalated, he gave a light laugh.

"It’s not okay to use rude words. Let’s not cause a scuffle with the instructors probably watching, okay?"

His words eased the girls slightly, but didn’t daunt Apollo’s momentum. The purple-haired boy smirked like he found it amusing, then flicked his long hair.

"I only speak the truth. They’re simply moths attracted to flame. Anyway, get out of my path. I’m moving."

He spoke calmly, as if talking to peasants as an emperor. His classmates were already used to the sight, just sighing and looking away.

Liam stared blankly, dumbfounded by the boy’s lack of respect. Were they even fellow students? He smiled wryly, about to tell his group to move, when someone appeared.

"Finding breathing uncomfortable, you decided to seek a punch in the nose?"

A cold voice cut through the awkward atmosphere, accompanied by the sound of a sword being unsheathed. Hazel came from the side, her expression dead serious.

At the sight of a sword unsheathed, the other students stiffened, surprised by the development. Was she crazy? She wanted to fight? Even her own classmates were surprised. The black-haired girl didn’t even look at them, her gaze fixated on Apollo.

"Hm? What a feisty little one~" Apollo laughed, "I’m impressed, brat."

He didn’t look intimidated by the sword, as if he had seen it countless times. Hazel noticed this and sighed inwardly. She hadn’t expected him to be terrified, but his reaction was unexpected.

’I can’t fight here. I don’t know if the school rules apply here too and I don’t wanna risk it.’

Still, her momentum didn’t decrease, and she stood straight like a spear. She didn’t reply to his taunt, but continued to glare at him.

Apollo gazed at her for a few seconds, then scoffed. "Unentertaining. Such a disappointment."

He turned away, then walked in a random direction. His classmates hurriedly shuffled after him, like lambs after their shepard.

Looking at that sight, Astron asked. "Why are they all following him around? I know he’s strong, but he can’t beat them all together, right?"

Liam was about to answer when a cold voice interrupted him.

"It’s simply because they fear him. Sometimes control is easier than you think."

Astron blinked, surprised by the fact that she replied more than the content of her words. This was the first time she had spoken to him, not even a ’good morning’ was exchanged in the past.

Ignoring the astonished boy, Hazel spoke to Liam. "It will be better if you have some backbones. Else our class will be ridiculed from the get-go."

Saying that, she turned around and walked away, disappearing into the forest. Liam sighed wearily, a bitter smile on his lips. He wanted to refute her and say he simply wanted peace, but the words wouldn’t come. In the end, he could only sigh.

"Tch, rude girl. What does she know?"

Kiera stomped her foot in anger, glaring at the spot Hazel stood moments ago. She pouted, then turned to Liam.

"Don’t mind her words. Everyone knows she’s some egoistic nonsense."

In the class, especially among the girls, Mordica’s unpopularity was the highest, second only to Hazel. The girls especially disliked her because of her blunt attitude and unwillingness to make friends. Even Ysabella had been cruelly turned down.

Eventually, an atmosphere that automatically disliked Hazel was created among the girls.

Liam scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. "Don’t be like that. She’s right too. In order to match the other classes, we have to stand firm."

His words made sense, and the girls’ frowns eased. Only Kiera remained sulking.

"Tch."

"Anyway, let’s move on."

Astron coughed lightly, returning their attention to the environment.

...

In another part of the forest, a lone figure was swinging through the trees, their movements graceful and efficient in a controlled manner.

"So they’re tamed beasts, huh?"

The person stopped, revealing a student with distinct blue hair and eyes. He squatted on a tree branch, watching as flame-horned cattle grazed at a clearing. The beasts were by no means harmless, as their horns were large and threatening, being a conduit for fire themselves. Even then, the herd only ate grass like any normal cattle. The scene was beautiful and peaceful.

’Peace doesn’t last long.’

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Kaiser heard howls in the distance, shifting his attention from the grazing beasts. His eyes narrowed, and he peered into the distance. A pack of Bone Wolves were closing in, their sights set on the grazing animals.

The herd of bulls also sensed the shift in the air and raised their heads. They let out threatening sounds, gathering together in a tight formation and keeping the young in their midst.

Watching the spectacle, Kaiser’s eyes crinkled in amusement and he unconsciously activated [Eyes of Sequence].

A white eight-spoked wheel appeared in his iris, slowly rotating like the wheel of a ship. Whenever his eyes shifted, it would turn, as if adjusting to the angle of his vision.

’Hmm... this is impressive.’

Kaiser remarked, amazed by the soul trait’s effects. As soon as he activated it, he felt the world clearer and perceived things he couldn’t see previously.

The subtle clench in a flame-horned bull’s muscle, the vicious glint in the leading wolf’s eyes, a slight imbalance in one wolf’s movement, and several other unnoticeable details. He could even see the flow of essence in their bodies being used to enhance their speed and strength to a higher level.

Under his watchful eyes, the wolf pack eventually arrived before the herd. As if they had practiced a rehearsal, the wolves surrounded the cattle, growling and moving in a circle.

’They’re mounting pressure on them. Especially the young ones. This is a mundane tactic, common among regular animals.’

The calves staying in the adult bulls encirclement were growing agitated, stomping their foot on the ground. The tension heightened, until one wolf could no longer wait. It pounced at the nearest calf, only to be knocked away by a bull.

The horns of the bull clashed with the bones protruding from the wolf’s shoulders. The sound was crisp, and the wolf was sent staggering. The fire from the horn sizzled a portion of its flesh, but it didn’t seem to care. It growled threateningly, then attacked again.

This time, it wasn’t the only one who attacked. The other wolves pounced at the herd, their claws sharp with lethality.

As expected, the bulls met their charge fiercely. Bones knocked into bone while some pierced flesh., sizzling the wound.

’Interesting...’

Kaiser watched the battle with a curious look, studying their fighting styles and subconscious movements. With the [Eyes of Sequence] activated, it was easy.

He could read their movements and even somewhat anticipate their movements. The first death happened after a few minutes. A calf tried to run but fell to the jaws of a wolf, its neck snapped immediately. The next to fall was an aged bull. It couldn’t keep up with the wolf attacks and collapsed with several gashes on its body.

’And then... you.’

Kaiser pointed at a particular wolf, then watched it get skewered by a horn. Its ribcage was pierced, and its innards burnt. From then on, casualties increased and the beasts began dying. After thirty minutes, the survivors separated, glaring at each other with unrestrained killing intent. The battle was tough, and the metallic scent of blood and burnt flesh filled the air.

The number of wolves had dwindled to eight, while the herd had lost more than half of them. Even if they had become Awakened Beasts, the food chain was still unarguable.

The herd was destined to perish at the claws of the wolves. Unless...

Thud!