Eternal Freedom's Ascension

Chapter 168: Why?

Hazel had already expected some sort of unexpected situation to arise at the Nectar Garden.

She didn’t know what exactly was going to happen, but she was tense.

Being the daughter of a war general, she was trained to always predict danger and prepare ahead of it.

When the swarm of Nectar Bees arrived, her expression merely darkened. Although it wasn’t an ambush from the other classes as she had expected, it was still an ambush nonetheless.

This was why she reacted the fastest, whipping out her battle-axe and incinerating several of those creatures in a single swing.

"Stay together. Don’t separate and don’t get distracted!"

She called out orders, trying to organize the rattled students behind her. Her words snapped some people awake, and they immediately began attacking.

The students with affinity for fire came forward, throwing irregular masses of flames at the creatures.

One of the Nectar Bees dived straight at Hazel. Her weapon moved once, slicing it into two neat halves.

Someone gasped at the precision, but got stung because he was distracted.

"Fool."

Hazel coldly snorted, her eyes fixed on the creatures flying around her. Not far away, Logan was like a wild beast. He didn’t care if he was stung or not. He jumped about, either crushing them or tearing them apart.

The few archers in the class participated vigorously, their hands moving at a rapid speed and releasing several arrows in a short time. Although some shots missed their targets, the numbers of the creatures made it impossible not to hit something.

Hazel glanced around, observing her classmates’ performance. Seeing as it was average, she became more determined.

’We’re going to win this battle. Whether everyone likes it or not. We’re winning.’

The mindset of a general was activated in her, and her ability fueled her with more strength. She became faster, stronger, and deadlier.

Her swings left trails of scalding fire in their wake.

In this battle, she was like a diamond being polished.

’Cut!’

Gathering strength into her arms, she struck the ground with her weapon. Vibrations rumbled underneath, and the ground was torn apart.

Debris flew into the air, intercepting the creatures flying straight at her. Before they could regain their bearings, she shot through the dirt, spinning wildly.

Her figure became a whirlwind of flames, melting anything that came close.

"Holy..."

Someone whispered, stunned by the sight. Hazel had never been this brilliant—so radiant.

She landed on the ground firmly, immediately returning to Class-E’s huddled lines.

Her throat burned, but her spirit thirsted for more. Tightening her grip around the battle-axe, she glanced around briefly. Many students were already injured, but they still fought.

Logan was covered in many stings, yet he remained ferocious. Even Hazel began to doubt if he was actually human.

Suddenly, her eyes caught Jose trying to slip away. He left Eric to fight while he feigned injury and retreated. It was a cowardly tactic—one she looked down upon.

However, she decided to ignore him and punish him later. Instead, she focused on the creatures before her. The battle had been ongoing for minutes, and the creatures had reduced in number. However, there were still many more left alive.

[You have slain...]

She heard a startled scream. Her eyes drifted to Jose, seeing him twist his ankle and fall. Several Nectar Bees swarmed him, their large eyes filled with mad glee.

’You deserve it.’

She looked away, leaving him to his fate. He had betrayed Eric, and now karma had caught up to him.

Hazel froze abruptly. She moved before she could think, darting toward Jose at insane speed. She arrived at his side before the creatures did.

A single swing was enough to burn them down, turning them to ashes.

’Why did I...?’

She didn’t have time to think. More Nectar Bees were coming. Ignoring the shocked boy, she dived into another part of the battlefield, clearing more of the creatures with sharp ferocity.

Watching her from a distance, Kaiser’s eyes widened.

’She helped him?’

He blinked twice to ensure he had seen correctly. Judging from her expression when he deserted his friend, she didn’t seem like she was inclined to help him.

’Instinct...?’

He tried to understand why she would have defended him, but he found none. It seemed the answer eluded her as well.

’A definition.’ He paused, ’Is she... instinctively defining herself?’

The thought dropped in his heart like a tiny stone in a calm pond, spreading ripples over the water.

If that was true... then it would explain the flicker of light he had seen. Closing his eyes, he relished the memory of that scene, feeling his cold heart warm slightly.

’This warmth... the beauty of colors...’

It felt like he was reaching out to something close, yet so distant.

’Ugh.’

Taking a deep breath, he stabilized his erratic breathing, shifting his gaze to Ysabella. There was nothing worth paying attention to about her situation.

She was being treasured because of her ability to buff others. She was also responsible for healing those whose injuries were too severe.

In such a situation, she was secretly delighted and ecstatic.

She enjoyed comforting the pained students and receiving their gratitude. It brought her a huge feeling of joy, and she had to struggle to suppress a bright smile threatening to emerge.

’By the end of this, everyone healed by me would completely trust me, right? I would no longer need to act overly nice before they confide in me.’

Reading her thoughts through her expression, Kaiser sighed in disappointment. The true Ysabella he envisioned was a spiteful, venomous snake—full of ruthlessness and absolute wickedness.

Unfortunately, she was still deluding herself with the little joy she received from being trusted and relied on.

He turned his attention to Maya, who was struggling like any other student. She hadn’t gotten any injury, but she was already tired and weary.

Kaiser’s heart ached faintly.

’Huh?’

He blinked, instinctively reaching for his heart. It was still pulsing, though at a faster rhythm than he expected. It wasn’t that fast, but the difference was noticeable.

’Do I... care? About her?’

His gaze dropped to the bow in his hand, tightly clenched. He realized he had been restraining himself from actively helping her while he observed the other students.

His brows creased in confusion. ’Why am I getting invested... when she hasn’t produced any color yet?’

The thought was baffling.