Eternal Freedom's Ascension

Chapter 167: A change—little but matters

Class-A was slightly more organized than the other classes. Although they rarely trained together as a whole, the sense of unity Iruca had ingrained in them made them help each other.

Together, they resisted the swarm of Nirad Creatures, fighting with all the strength they could muster.

"If you’re tired or bitten, fall back into the shield!"

Rita shouted, making sure everyone heard her voice through the chaos. Iruca had retreated from her role of being an archer. Instead, she used her ability—Protective Embrace—to create a transparent dome that prevented the Nirad Creatures from attacking those within. They slammed into the dome, making it ripple repeatedly. However, it held strong.

In the dome with her was Rita, their best healer, and some Class-A students that had been injured.

While Iruca did her best to ensure the dome remained active, Rita helped to heal those who were injured. Outside the dome, Ashley and the others who were very skilled in combat and had powerful abilities protected the dome from most of the Nectar Bees attacking their class.

Iruca watched everything unfold before her eyes, only able to stand with her hands raised, holding the weight of the dome and the creatures attacking it.

’I... it’s all my fault... all of it...’

A tear slid from her eye as she watched a student stumble in, his arms swollen. His face was contorted in pain as the toxin ravaged his body.

Rita immediately rushed to him, her hands glowing with a soft light. She looked haggard and weary, having repeatedly healed several students. However, she still pushed through and began healing him.

The boy was relieved of his pain, and he no longer looked agonized.

Even then, more students stumbled into the dome, all covered in injuries.

A scream cut through the battlefield. Iruca turned toward the sound instinctively.

Her raised hands trembled as she recognized the student. It was one of her classmates—the same girl who had been asking her questions earlier, her voice full of curiosity. Now, she was on the ground, clutching her arm as a Nectar Bee’s stinger pierced through flesh.

Iruca’s breath hitched.

For a moment, the chaos around her dulled. Her vision blurred.

’Diana...’

She could feel her arms losing strength as tears fell from her eyes.

"Iruca! Focus!"

Rita’s panicked shout snapped her awake, and she realized the dome created by her ability was already wavering.

’I can’t let it happen!’

She immediately reinforced the transparent dome, channeling more of her essence into it. It stabilized slightly, no longer flickering like a flame.

Rita seemed to sense her worry and spoke carefully. "Agonizing over it for now wouldn’t work. Instead, focus on what you can do and do it well."

Iruca nodded stiffly, clenching her teeth tightly. She could feel blood welling up in her mouth, but she refused to let it leak.

’That’ll only bother Rita more. She needs to heal the others. They’re more important.’

Having this resolve in her heart, she closed her eyes and used all her strength to preserve the dome for as long as she could.

Kaiser stared at her from a distance, his eyes glistening with something unknown.

He could feel her sorrow, anxiety, and grief. He could sense the dark, bubbling emotions in her heart, and the mental scars she carried.

’So you’re broken too...’

He sighed, placing his thumb and index finger in a way that made it seem like her whole figure was in his grasp.

He closed one eye, getting a clearer image of the white-haired girl with the open eye.

’Perhaps... just maybe... you might gain freedom one day.’

He shifted his attention to Liam and Kiera who were performing wonderfully on the battlefield. However, their hearts bore different thoughts, revealing more of their thought process.

Kiera saw a Nectar Bee sting a classmate in the arm, drawing blood.

She immediately looked away, but her breath hitched.

’Blood...’

Her red eyes glistened, but dimmed immediately. She was struggling to control herself. Even when she had just drunk nutritious blood from her host yesterday, she was still burdened by thirst at the sight of blood.

With such a large-scale battle unfolding, the scent of blood was present in the air. No matter where she turned, she could almost taste the smell in her mouth.

’Fuck! I need to control myself! Where the hell is Kaiser by the way?’

She looked around, trying to search for his figure in the chaos. He was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, all she got was more thirst for blood. It was so serious and nauseating that her vision began to blur.

Gritting her teeth, she fought against the urge, using it as a source of anger to kill the Nectar Bees around her.

To her, it was a lot. But for Kaiser, he summed it all into a single word.

’Struggling...’

Not far away from her was Liam. The brown-haired boy had a dark, melancholic expression on his face as he fought.

Flashes of memories he hated resurfaced in his mind, reminding him of something he always tried to avoid.

’I...’

A Nectar Bee slipped through his guard, stinging him through a gap in his armor. Pain flared in his body. He immediately reached out and smacked it away.

The situation made him feel powerless. Even his ability became somewhat useless. The numbers of the creatures were just too daunting.

Seeing several classmates fall and get covered in stings, he felt his heart ache. His grip tightened over his lance, and he tried his best to protect those he could protect.

’Hopeless... dull...’

Kaiser looked away, disappointed. The emotions displayed by the couple were mundane and common. There was nothing definitive about them.

With the expression of a scientist observing a laboratory experiment, he turned his attention to Hazel.

A flicker of interest passed through his eyes, and he unconsciously leaned forward.

’Is it...?’

His breath hitched. Down on the battlefield, Hazel did something unexpected that made his eyes widen. For a brief moment, Kaiser saw a spark of color in the depth of her being.