Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 50: Lethal

Instructor Rina moved through the forest with ease, her speed surpassing what students could comprehend. At first, she wanted to find Hazel and the other majority of her class. However, she suddenly changed her mind and rushed towards Kaiser’s location. Although she wasn’t so sure, her gut feeling screamed him being targeted.

Halfway there, she was forced to stop, blocked by two individuals clad in dark robes which hid their features.

One of them spoke. "As expected. I knew one of those instructors would meddle."

The other nodded his head. "At least it isn’t that crazy old man."

Rina didn’t panic, but simply summoned a black scythe.

Seeing the weapon, the two men fell silent.

"Not so cocky now, are you?" She asked flatly. "I’m in a hurry, get out of my way."

Unfortunately, the men didn’t listen to her. "Even if you’re from the Namu Guild, we’re all Rank 3 Evolved. You’re the one who shouldn’t be coc..."

He didn’t finish his words, as he hurriedly retreated, narrowly dodging a hook from the scythe. Without pausing a beat, Rina spun, her weapon lashing out towards the other man.

Unlike his companion, he was more prepared. From his sheath, he produced a sword which shone with a vicious glint.

"Fuck it!"

He cursed, blocking her attack, then retreated. The two men stood beside each other, weapons raised. Rina slowly walked towards them, her expression calm.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way."

She vanished.

Clang!

Two swords intersected to defend against the blade of a scythe, grinding against each other in a stalemate. Suddenly, the two men split into six, each looking as real as the original.

Rina tensed, not daring to underestimate them. She was well aware of the difference between clones and illusions.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their weapons targeted Rina, forcing her to defend with all her might. Just as she suspected, the clones held around fifty percent of the original body’s strength. Together, they all mounted a huge pressure on her.

"Fire."

Deciding to change the scales, she tapped into one of her elements. Heat rolled off her skin as her scythe became wreathed in flames, forcing her attackers to retreat.

Without hesitation, she activated her ability. A subtle chill spread in the air, and the two men felt their hearts clench.

"Curse it! It’s the Specter King!"

A purple aura enveloped her, extending to cover her weapon. Even the flames were turned purple.

Seeing as she had gotten serious, the second man activated his ability. Two extra arms grew from his ribcage, covered in black fur. Killing intent permeated the air, and what had been a skirmish instantly turned into a deathly battle.

...

Kaiser’s ears rang, and he felt a dull ache in his chest.

’Broken ribs... one or two. Alright.’

The arm holding the sword trembled slightly, the muscles spamming violently.

’What the hell was that?’

He forced his eyes to open, then peered through the fog. At first, he only saw a vague silhouette that resembled a large crocodile.

When his vision cleared, he was stunned. Standing not far from him was a creature with smooth grey skin, segmented back, and two horns right by its nose. Sharp, lethal fangs lined its mouth, with strips of flesh hanging from them.

The creature growled quietly, its gaze fixated on him. It was at that moment he knew, he would have a bad day.

The creature opened its wide mouth and roared, rushing at him like a man to his wife.

Kaiser didn’t even bother waiting, he retreated. Why? The creature wasn’t something Awakened humans could deal with. If he was right, then it’d be an Evolved Monster.

Still, he knew running was futile. His speed couldn’t even compare with it. Instead, he directed it towards an open clearing.

As expected, the creature caught up, hot on his tails. He stopped running, and turned to face it.

’Wrong move.’

He leaned back, narrowly dodging a swipe from the monster. Its jaws closed an inch from his face, a gust of putrid odor assaulting his nose.

He ignored the discomfort and let his dagger stab into one of its eyes. In exchange for that attack, he was smacked in the side.

"Ugh.."

He landed steadily on his feet, wiping the blood from his lips. His body screamed of pain, but he couldn’t afford to relax. Instead, his eyes shone with a crazed glint as he activated his ability.

’Freedom.’ He exhaled. ’Freedom from pain.’

As soon as he thought so, the pain he was feeling vanished, and he felt normal again. He blinked in slight surprise, as this was the first time he was using his ability in combat.

’I have to incapacitate it as quickly as possible.’

The monster was blinded in the left eye, but could see clearly with the other eye. Kaiser didn’t wait at all and immediately dashed at the monster.

His sword deflected its lethal claws, while he slipped beneath its body. The blade of his dagger ran across its scales, but failed to deal any damage except a light cut.

’Ah. What did I expect?’

Bam!

The tail slammed into him, sending him rolling on the ground. He felt no pain from the impact, though he sensed his movements growing uncomfortable.

’At least my mind is clear.’

Before the monster could retract its tail, he latched onto it, then climbed into its back. The monster roared in annoyance, moving to shake him off. However, Kaiser remained persistent, stabbing the dagger into the segments between its scales as an anchor.

Sensing that it couldn’t shake him off, the monster ran towards a nearby tree and smashed itself against it. Kaiser was caught between the two, and he immediately coughed up blood.

His eyes darkened, and he reached out towards the intact eye. Without any weapon, he plunged his fingers into the organ, then burst it with a single squeeze.

Roar!!!

The monster cried in pain and finally shook him off. It lashed out wildly, and successfully struck his back. The blue-haired boy was sent flying with more blood spraying from his lips, a testament of several damaged internal organs.

Even then, he felt no pain. He rose to his feet with a gentle bloodied smile, then asked.

"How’s it? Being unable to see and trapped in darkness?"

His voice was hoarse, and his blood drenched the ground. Still, he moved. One step, two steps, three steps... he approached the disoriented monster.