Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 57: My Prowess?

After parting ways with Maya at 6pm, Kaiser headed to the Training Facility. He booked a private room for two hours, then changed into training outfit.

The sleeveless top exposed his lean and toned biceps, as if sculpted by a perfectionist artist.

There were many things he wanted to test, and he wasn’t willing to delay them any longer.

Standing in a relaxed pose, he brought up his system interface.

[Kaiser Solace]

[True Identity - Beyonder]

[Ability - Freedom]

[Ability Rank - Error]

[Affinity - [Darkness] ]

[Realm - Awakened]

[Rank - 1]

[Soul Trait - [Eyes of Sequence] ]

[Trait - [Cursed Voice] ]

[Relics - [Unremarkable Sword] [Asura Vest]...]

[Shadows - [Cursed Knight]...]

’So weird.’

He chuckled as he looked at his ability rank in amusement. Whenever he checked, that ’Error’ tag never ceased to amuse him.

’Let’s test the Darkness Affinity first.’

By now, he had created eleven nodes in his body, and only stopped because he felt some discomfort.

"It’s probably because I haven’t tested it out."

Exhaling softly, he closed his eyes. The world turned dark, and he was unable to see anything.

Yet still, he felt a new sensation. Like an extra limb or a sixth sense, he could read the structure of the room—the placements, angles, and even the objects present in it.

’Darkness Sense?’

While keeping his essence running into his nodes, he simultaneously opened his eyes and activated [Eyes of Sequence].

’...!!!’

The world bleached white, then black, then became a mixture of the two. Everything became colorless, with only black and white lines projecting the structure of his surroundings.

’This is...’

Kaiser shivered involuntarily, his body trembling non-stop. The view presented before him reflected how he truly saw the world.

’Colorless...’

His fists clenched instinctively, and memories he had buried deeply resurfaced.

...

"Hah! I broke your toy, what’re you gonna do about it?"

A young boy of about ten years old from the Solace Clan stood before young Kaiser, his expression full of haughtiness.

Kaiser stared at the boy with dark eyes full of hidden malice.

"You... broke it..."

His voice was hoarse, and a single tear fell from his left eye. His expression didn’t change though, still blank as always.

Filled with cold ire, Kaiser stepped towards the boy, his hands reaching out slowly.

"Would you... die?"

"Hmph!" The young boy snorted, then smacked the hands away swiftly. At least he tried to.

Kaiser’s hands blurred, then latched onto the boy’s neck.

"Keuk!"

Stunned, the boy choked with wide eyes, immediately grabbing onto Kaiser’s wrists.

Despite them being age mates and having similar builds, the boy was unable to move Kaiser’s arms at all.

"Ahck!" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

He continued to choke, eyes getting upturned from the lack of air to breathe. Desperation seeped into his eyes, and strength slowly left him.

’Eh?’

Kaiser’s eyes widened, and he saw something amazing. In his dying state, the boy’s entire figure radiated a weak brown color.

’A... a color... This... this is a color!’

He watched the faint color in ecstasy, until it suddenly snuffed out. The little resistance he was feeling from the boy stopped, and his body went limp.

’Ahh... does that mean people exhibit their colors when on the verge of death?’

Understanding dawned upon him, and he instantly began to recall all those who he found unpleasant and worthy of disposing.

That night, the clan experienced a bloodbath among its younger generation.

...

When clarity returned to his eyes, he realized the world had returned to normal, and he was currently on his knees, sweating profusely.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

Panting heavily, he touched his pulsing heart which was slowly calming into a stable rhythm.

’That was unpleasant.’

He sighed, then rose to his feet. From a corner of the room, he got a towel and wiped off the sweat on him.

"That’s enough about darkness for today... wait a minute."

He looked at his own shadow with deep scrutiny, checking for any anomaly. Well, except that it was darker than normal shadows, there was no other anomaly.

"Freedom."

His ability was both straightforward and a bit complex. With his current essence reserves, there were only some basic laws he could defy.

’Let’s test it out.’

"Activate the training dummy. Set at level four."

["Are you sure? Threat level would be astronomical for your grade."]

"Do it."

The red automaton stationed at the far end of the room slowly powered up. Its eyes ignited with sharp blue lights, and it stepped off its platform.

Kaiser’s expression became serious, and he summoned the Unremarkable Sword. That familiar black sword materialized in his hand, its blade thin and deadly.

From the weapon racks, the automaton took a sword with jagged edges, then stepped towards him with a threatening momentum.

["Engage with caution."]

The room’s AI warned one last time, then fell silent.

Both moved at the same time, and their blades clashed.

Clang!

A split second before contact, Kaiser invoked his ability.

’Inertia.’

The moment their blades connected, the automaton slid back, while Kaiser remained on the same spot. In fact, he hadn’t felt any recoil from colliding with the automaton, and only felt his own force being delivered.

The automaton didn’t allow him to think too deeply, though.

Woosh~

The jagged blade shot at him, its sharpness evident from the way it split through the air.

’Inertia.’

Kaiser activated his ability again, dodged, and counterattacked. Without any movement being wasted, his strike carried full force.

Bang!

Even though his counterattack was unexpected, the automaton still blocked. It skidded back, boots scraping against the ground.

["Automaton affinity activated."]

Flames coated the automaton’s blade, and it suddenly dropped into a lower stance.

"Guessed so."

Kaiser exhaled, then began hopping on his toes. From side to side, he hopped, slowly getting faster. After some seconds, he became a blur and shot at the automaton.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Bang! Clang! Clang!

They exchanged six simple attacks, and Kaiser successfully pushed the automaton back in five clashes.

Boom!

During the last clash, fire bloomed from the sword, creating a combustion that pushed him back. He slid across the ground without friction affecting him, then ran along the walls.

"Fire sure is annoying."

Feeling the heat against his skin, Kaiser watched ahead indifferently. Well, it was the perfect moment to test something else.

From within, he visualized a string of red energy connecting with his throat.

"Freeze."

The instant he whispered, all movements of the automaton ceased, and it didn’t move an inch. It was just as expected. Cursed Voice literally forced his words to come to pass.

"Disarm yourself."

Still squatting upside down from the ceiling, Kaiser watched as the automaton dropped its sword, then remained inactive.

’It drains my Cursed Essence a lot, but it’s very efficient and practical. That’s enough about it.’

’To understand more about my ability, I need to practice more.’

He dropped to the ground, dismissing the Unremarkable Sword.

"Hand-to-hand combat."

["Understood."]

The automaton took a boxing stance, hands raised close to its face.

Without any hesitation, they both approached each other. Punches were thrown and deflected, with both moving at inhuman speed.

Kaiser ducked under a hook, then dug his fist into its torso.

Bang!

Pain jolted through his knuckles, but the force behind his attack was delivered at full force. The automaton bent over slightly, the breastplate dented, but it counterattacked swiftly.

A heavy punch zoomed at the side of Kaiser’s face, and he felt the wind even before the punch.

Concluding that the damage could be lethal, he freed himself from gravity, allowing him to float and narrowly dodge the attack.

He grabbed onto the automaton’s outstretched arm, then locked his legs around its neck.

A single pull from both sides sent the automaton crashing to the ground. Pinned beneath him, Kaiser stomped on the head, creating a crack on the concrete floor.

As soon as he removed his leg, the automaton instantly sprang up, throwing two sharp punches at him.

With the unexpected attack happening at close range, Kaiser had no choice but to cross his arms and block.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The fists were swift, continually hitting him as he skidded backwards. Suddenly, Kaiser abandoned defense and grabbed onto its wrists. Muscles bulged on his arms as he forced the hands apart, then delivered a precise kick to its torso.

Boom!

The automaton was sent flying, crashing into the opposite wall of the room.

Kaiser checked his arms, noticing how red it was, then sighed.

’...!!! Blink?!’

The automaton reappeared before him, then struck viciously. Kaiser immediately raised a palm to block, his expression unchanged.

Pa!

He blocked the attack, but felt a pain like his wrists almost snapped. Without letting go of that fist, Kaiser pulled them both together, and delivered his own kick towards the automaton’s neck.

The attack connected, and he felt something break beneath the armor covering its neck.

’Wait a minute. Something doesn’t feel right.’

Kaiser frowned to himself, then suddenly turned towards the door. There, standing a step outside was a familiar young man with a blindfold covering his eyes.

"President... Anthony?"