Eternal Freedom's Ascension

Chapter 161: Team Liam

Liam’s team had taken a different route, heading east from their stopping point. They hadn’t gone far before arriving at a stream which had clear water.

"Is it safe? I suddenly feel thirsty." Kiera yawned, pointing at the stream.

Liam observed the stream carefully, then shook his head.

"I can’t guarantee. There’s no telling if there’s a creature lurking in there."

The girl clicked her tongue in displeasure, and turned to the others. "Does anyone have water?"

Astron raised his hand, summoning a storage relic and bringing out a bottle of water.

"I always have these prepared."

Kiera’s red eyes lit up in joy, and she immediately collected it.

"Thank you!"

She uncorked the cover, then drank the water calmly. In less than a minute, she had drunk everything in the bottle.

Seeing the weird stares directed at her, she shrank slightly.

"Um... you have many more, right? I mistakenly drank all the contents in this."

Astron smiled faintly and nodded. Although he was surprised by her actions, he simply attributed it to sudden thirst.

Kiera looked away with an embarrassed smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

’Damn it! I’m getting thirsty so fast? There has to be something in this guy’s blood. And I’m even banned from drinking anyone else’s blood.’

Groaning inwardly, she stood beside Liam as they advanced. She glanced at Ysabella’s neck, wondering if she could have a drink from her.

’No. She’s very weird. And with her affinity for magic, I don’t think she’ll be easy to manipulate.’

Kiera sighed in defeat, looking at the others in the group. Astron was too close to Liam, so he was obviously a no. This left Emily as her only option.

’Not yet...’

Restraining herself, she decided to wait for some time.

The team eventually ran into their first opponents, a group of insect-like creatures with pure black chitin and powerful legs.

"Guys, focus!"

Liam shouted, holding out his lance. He dashed forward, immediately activating his ability—boosting his teammates and weakening the enemies.

The movement of the creatures slowed, and Liam arrived before them first. His lance swept horizontally, splitting the chitin with ease and killing the first one in a single blow.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Glutton Slave]

Thick dark blood splattered on his face and armor, but he showed no concern. From behind, Astron fired a volley of precise arrows.

Several of the creatures were skewered, with a few of them dying in the process.

Kiera appeared beside Liam, her hands covered with clawed gauntlets. She punched, crushed, and ripped apart the ones in front of her, becoming a nightmare within their ranks.

Emily also dived in, her sword strikes clean and neat. With just a few strokes of her blade, the Glutton Slaves fell one by one.

Their efficiency was incredible—boosted by Ysabella’s ability. The blonde girl stood at the back, protected by Astron as she buffed the team.

Combined with Liam’s ability, the buffs stacked and made them appear overpowered. In just a few minutes, they had slain over thirty Awakened Beasts.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Glutton Slave]

[You have received a Relic]

The system’s voice rang in Liam’s head as he struck down the last one, having his weapon stained with blood.

"Eh? We did all this?"

He was astonished, seeing the carnage all around him. The bloodied corpses of the creatures littered the ground, the scent of blood thick in the air.

’Wow... the combined buffs of Ysabella and I are crazy.’

He took a look at the others, seeing no sign of exhaustion. He had already deactivated his ability, and he knew only Ysabella’s ability could erase a person’s exhaustion.

Not far from him, Kiera stared blankly at her blood-soaked hands, her eyes constricted and shaking.

’Blood... blood... blood...’

Her throat tightened, a feeling of intense hunger hitting her.

"Uh... Kiera, are you okay?"

Emily approached her, her expression etched with concern.

Kiera immediately changed her expression, adopting a pained look and holding her stomach.

"I think... I think I’m on my period."

Liam, who had been eavesdropping, was dumbfounded. His expression became awkward, and he immediately looked away.

Ysabella came over, her face colored with sympathy.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt that bad?"

Kiera gave a strained smile, shaking her head. "It’s okay. I’ll be fine with Emily following me. I should... do some stuffs first."

Ysabella’s smile froze, a trace of displeasure flashed in her eyes. She immediately recovered, nodding and turning to Liam.

"Liam, your girlfriend needs to attend to something urgent. Please spare her a few minutes."

Liam nodded stiffly, though his face carried a trace of concern for Kiera.

Hiding her delight, the silver-haired girl leaned on Emily and walked deeper into the forest while Liam and the others waited for them.

After moving some distance away, Kiera suddenly straightened.

"Eh? What’s wrong?" Emily asked, confused.

Kiera shrugged off the girl’s hand and turned her head.

"I’m sorry, Emily. But I have to do this."

The girl reacted immediately, reaching for her sheathed sword. However, Kiera was faster, arriving before her in an instant. She grabbed her hands, raising them above her head and pinning her to a tree.

Her red eyes glowed supernaturally, and she snarled, revealing her sharp fangs.

Seeing this, Emily’s eyes went wide with fear. Her body went stiff, and she saw her life flashing before her eyes.

Ignoring her fear, Kiera leaned in to take a bite and drink her blood.

"Becoming disobedient already?"

The voice wasn’t loud, yet the forest fell silent.

The atmosphere froze. There was an uncomfortable silence in the air. Kiera felt her heart sink, like a thief caught red-handed.

Her body moved before her thoughts did, releasing Emily as she stepped back.

Kaiser stood a few meters away, his head slightly tilted.

His expression wasn’t angry. He tilted his head, as though watching something mildly disappointing.

"I expected this." He paused, "Still disappointing."

Kiera’s throat tightened in fear. In her heart was a deep fear of this young man.

’Damnit. I fucked up! Is he going to do something bad now?’

Kaiser sighed softly, then gestured.

"Come here."