Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 112: Threat? Not at all

Kaiser wasn’t surprised in the slightest by the ambush. He had already expected it. Seeing as he was unfazed, one of the three men asked.

"You’re not even scared? What a weird kid."

It was Aman, a member of the Impact Guild that had rescued them earlier.

"Scared?" Kaiser frowned in confusion. "Why would I be scared?"

Aman’s brows twitched, his smile thinning. "So you’re quite an idiot and fearless one. Do you know why we want to kill you?"

"Boring." Kaiser cleaned his ear with his pinky finger. "Are you trying to stall for more reinforcement? You’re quite smart for someone of your height."

Aman’s expression hardened, then he laughed. "This attitude of yours... I must say it is really aggravating."

Straightening, he didn’t deny Kaiser’s claim. Instead, he asked. "How did you know I’m waiting for reinforcements?"

Yawning, Kaiser leaned on a tree. "You think you three cannot handle me. After all, you’ve seen how respectful the Emberheart sisters are towards me."

Aman’s face twisted in suppressed anger. "Good. All the more to kill you."

"Nah," Kaiser shook his head lazily. "The only reason you want to kill me is to eliminate the witness, right?"

The bald man froze, shocked. "How...?"

"Well, you can call it intuition." Kaiser explained. "Since the Emberheart sisters do not recognize or acknowledge your Guild, you’re planning to hand them over to the Frostheart Clan."

The other two Awakened glanced at each other, feeling uneasy. How had he deduced that much?

"Since I already know your Guild’s name, it’d be bad if I mentioned it when the Emberheart Clan starts searching for them."

Kaiser pushed himself off the tree, feeling several steps approaching and surrounding him.

"Let’s get this massacre started, shall we?"

He spread his arms, summoning Virtuous Sorrow and Unremarkable Sword into his hands. The blades gleamed sharply, vibrating as if craving blood.

"Attack!"

Someone shouted, and five Awakened humans charged from the bushes and attacked him.

At that moment, the quiet peace was torn to shreds.

Kaiser ducked low, several blades passing above him. He struck the closest Awakened with the pommel of his sword.

"Kuak!"

The man screamed, stumbling back in pain. Kaiser paid him no attention and immediately struck two others by their necks. Paralyzed, the two Awakened men fell to the ground, their mouths foaming. Another set of five Awakened emerged from within the forest. They immediately fired shots of elemental energy at him.

Fire, water, ice, lightning, and earth attacks rained down on him.

He avoided each and every attack with unmatched ease, boredom evident in his eyes.

"Use your fucking abilities!"

Aman yelled from behind, frustrated. Why were these people acting like fools?!

The instant the Awakened began using their abilities, things changed. Kaiser felt the pull of gravity twice the normal. A mind attack struck at him, aiming to stun him.

’Freedom from Gravity.’

He easily freed himself from the first ability, then shrugged off the second ability. It wasn’t as dangerous as those of the Bark Bats.

Another Awakened suddenly sped towards him, covering the distance in an instant.

Her mouth curved into a smirk, believing she would be the one to kill him.

Spurt!

The next moment, her head rolled off her neck, blood splattering from the amputated part.

[You have slain a Rank 1 Awakened Human, Sarah Berley]

Kaiser shook the blood off his blade, then attacked another Awakened closest to him.

The man, still shocked that his comrade had been killed, couldn’t resist at all when Kaiser attacked him. It felt like an illusion.

He was reeling from the death of his teammate when he felt the cold blade pierce his heart.

[You have slain a Rank 2 Awakened Human, Trojan Leonidas]

From there, Kaiser executed a massacre. His movements were like that of a ghost—slow, disorienting, and lethal. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Awakened fell by his blades like flies, unable to resist. A few courageous men used their abilities to resist him.

One of them threw sharp punches that sliced the air like blades. However, Kaiser simply stayed out of the ability’s range, making his efforts useless.

In the end, the Awakened was killed by being strangled with the Glass String. The others who were putting up some resistance soon followed.

By the time he was done with the random ones, there was already a pile of bodies on the ground.

He climbed onto them, looking at Aman from high above.

The bald man felt a suffocating pressure in his lungs as he stared at the boy covered in blood.

"You..."

His eyes trembled, his hands curling into fists. ’He’s a monster.’

Kaiser regarded the remaining ones with a little smile.

"Next time, do not come after me." He said coldly, "I have no concerns about what you do with the girls, but do not bother me."

Gritting his teeth, Aman made a decision and fled. The other two that initially came with him also fled, terror in their eyes.

After they left, Kaiser sighed tiredly.

’Goodness gracious... that was a hassle.’

Aman and the other two escaped into the forest, running frantically like frightened kids.

"Stop!" Someone called out to them. They turned sharply towards the owner of the voice, uneasy.

An old man crouching on a tree branch was staring at them. He held a thin sword against his shoulder, exuding an intimidating aura.

"What is it?" Aman’s voice hardened, trying to create a facade of confidence.

"Don’t look so gloomy, kid." The old man grinned. "I’m simply going to ask questions. No violence at—"

One of the other Awakened stepped forward, finding him quite annoying. Before he could even attack, a crushing pressure fell on them, forcing them to their knees regardless of their ranks.

’An Evolved!’

The realization sent a jolt down their spine, and they immediately fell silent.

Smiling like a nice old uncle, the man spoke. "Good boys. Paying respects to your elderly ones."

"Now then, why don’t you recount what made you so frightened?"

His crooked yellow teeth widened into a grin.

A few minutes later, Aman and the other two were released. The old man slowly turned his head, looking into the distance.

"Kaiser Solace." He exhaled, "Such a frightening name."

Cackling, he unsheathed his thin sword slightly. The silver sheen of the blade flashed.

"Forgive me, lad. I’m only after the rewards of this bounty."