Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 99: Bottom Arachnids

Kaiser took a step back, his heart tightening. His body shuddered, eyes widened in terror.

’No. Something’s wrong.’

He keenly sensed something unnatural, and moved back greatly. After leaving a certain range, his body relaxed, and he realized he had been under the effect of a malice field of fear.

’Hoh? That’s a bit unexpected.’

A malice field was an abstract concept, just like oppressive might. Instead of outright suppressing those at lower ranks, a malice field instead made other creatures experience terror, confusion, disorientation, or even illusions.

The creature he had seen at the underside of the island possessed this, which had made him feel genuine fear.

’Unpleasant.’

Kaiser remarked, his expression darkening. As he felt the creature climb up from the underside of the island, he released his own malice field.

The air turned cold, and a terrifying killing intent swept forth from him. It wasn’t something artificial or granted by the Nirad System. It was something that had to be cultivated.

Kaiser’s hands had been stained with blood since he was a little child, and everything had come to manifest as a malice field. He rarely used it, as any experienced human would definitely tell that he was a killer.

Here in the lonesome expanse of the Aether Skies, he was free to express it without restraint.

The creature finally emerged, climbing onto the island with its eight furry legs. It resembled a monstrous black widow, its pitch-black body speckled with ghostly white spots. A lone eye bulged from its head, rotating freely as it scanned its surroundings in a full circle.

It immediately spotted Kaiser, then sprang forward only to freeze.

It went silent, its body shrinking as it cowered. A cold feeling washed over it, filling it with dread and horror.

As a Nirad Creature, it had a vicious nature and was always involved in the food chain. Having killed many creatures and almost dying to some, it understood the feeling that came as a prelude to death.

Right now, it felt that same sensation. Its large eyes, fixed on Kaiser’s unreadable face, shook violently.

Kaiser stepped forward, slowly approaching the frozen monster. He stopped inches before its eyes, staring straight into that monstrous black pupil.

"As expected. All Nirad Creatures are colorless. Always boring, always moved by their beastly instincts."

Still trapped in an illusion of death, the creature remained frozen even as the Virtuous Sorrow sank into its head through the eye.

[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Bottom Arachnid]

The System announced. The creature’s body remained frozen, not falling even after death.

Kaiser slowly wiped the blood and gore from his sword, then stared at the corpse. Curious, he tilted his head, then glanced at his shadow.

That dark apparition of himself trembled in anticipation, making Kaiser sigh. He looked back at the corpse, then said indifferently.

"Consume."

His shadow surged like a tide of darkness, swallowing the corpse in its embrace. It writhed like it was slowly devouring, then it receded after a few seconds.

Nothing was left behind.

He casually brought up his interface, wanting to see it added to his collections.

[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] [Nameless Fang] [Virtuous Sorrow] [Glass String] [Wraith’s Venom] ]

[Shadows - [Cursed Knight] [Bottom Arachnid] ]

[Description: Any being you kill has their shadow eternally bound to you]

As he expected, the creature had been added to his collections of shadows, becoming the second to serve under him.

Another thing that made him curious was the description of the shadow stat. Although the description differed from what he was doing at the moment, he had an inkling of what the description was actually saying.

’I doubt I can handle that at the moment, though...’

Sealing off those thoughts, he looked around again. The Bottom Arachnids living under the island already made it more complicated to use the nearest vine in reaching the next island.

As he was thinking, he grew alert and dropped to the ground. Something passed over him, the legs catching nothing but empty air.

Kaiser looked up, spotting a familiar species of Nirad Creature.

The creature that had tried to attack him was the twin-headed eagle chimera with green feathers.

Just like the one he had seen in the Withered Forest, this aerial creature was large, its unfolded wings spanning meters. It flew in the air, then turned around to dive at him again.

Kaiser didn’t let it reach him before he attacked. Holding the Virtuous Sorrow at the hilt, he threw it as a spear towards the incoming creature.

The creature immediately used its wings to protect itself, meanwhile Kaiser retreated. The creature missed him again, as it had been distracted by the sword.

Before the sword even struck it, Kaiser already summoned it back into his grip.

’This thing... it’s going to be hard to kill.’

The bird screeched, its two beaks exhaling a putrid smell. Instead of flying once again, it landed on the ground, its wings spread arrogantly.

Staring at the blue-haired boy with an ever-murderous gaze, it charged at him. Unexpectedly, it was even fast on the ground. It ran like a human, one leg carried before the other.

Kaiser calmly summoned two of his new relics—the ones he had gotten after killing the Sky Wraiths.

Using the Glass String, he moved about randomly while retreating, setting a web of traps on the ground. He moved rapidly, as the relic itself was sharp enough to cut even his own hand.

Finally, he summoned another relic—Wraith’s Venom. The relic manifested as a crossbow. Aiming it at the approaching creature, Kaiser fired.

Sharp crystal arrows exploded forward at stunning speed, drilling into the wings of the aerial creature. It shrieked as several of its feathers were damaged and injured.

Just as its anger fueled its resolve to attack him, its legs tripped on a thin wire. It didn’t fall, only stumbling slightly.

However, that was enough for the chain reaction to begin. The next moment, the net of thin strings on the ground shot up, wrapping around the creature’s feathers before it could react.

The sharp strings cut into its body as it struggled to break them. Despite the durability of the strings, they still snapped under its force, releasing it.

Immediately, the creature flew into the air, blood dripping from its mangled body.

It screeched in anger, then performed its ultimate dive. It folded its wings, then dove down at a speed even Kaiser could barely observe.