Eternal Freedom's Ascension

Chapter 169: Massacre

Kaiser Solace’s mind was cultivated and groomed around a single concept—color.

In a world where everything was colorless and dull, full of monotony, he craved the warmth of colors. Individuals who had found meaning to their living and were true to their own selves.

This concept determined every one of his actions, his interests, and the decisions he made.

’Although color can be produced when a person is at death’s door, it isn’t a reliable method to satiate my craving.’

This was why Kaiser was always selective about the individuals he observed.

From the moment he enrolled into the academy, Maya Grace had been the first to gain his interest. She was simple, clean, and without contradictions. To Kaiser, she was the closest to gaining a color in this monochromatic world.

’Could that be the reason...?’

He stared at her, his eyes tracking every one of her movements. The way she panted, the way her weapon missed its targets, the way she hurriedly wiped the sweat running into her eyes.

Everything screamed that she was average—yet, he couldn’t see her as that.

’Perhaps... it is this averageness that I want to protect.’

That fragility she carried, even as she came close to becoming her own true person, was precious.

’How stunning...’

Kaiser chuckled, feeling his tensed muscles relax. He stopped restraining himself, raising his bow and firing rapidly.

The shots completely destroyed the creatures attacking Maya, giving her room to breathe.

She didn’t know where the arrows came from, but she was thankful to whoever the archer was.

’Although I care... I won’t interfere too frequently. It’ll ruin the overall experiment.’

Lowering his bow, Kaiser turned away from her. The little help he had provided was enough. There was no need to get further involved.

Sighing, he decided to make a risky decision.

’Since the instructors allowed the situation to fester this long, I should help them solve the problem.’ A light smirk played at his lips. ’This stage shall now be closed.’

Sitting casually on the tree branch, he whispered.

"Perish."

His voice was soft, but it was exceptionally clear to the world. All the students heard it, and so did the Nectar Bees.

The next second, the Nirad Creatures exploded one after the other. Regardless of whether they were flying or attacking, they burst open, dying instantly.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast...]

[You have slain an Awakened...]

[You have slain an...]

[You have slain...]

[You have...]

[You...]

The messages poured in, gradually becoming blurry as Kaiser’s consciousness faded. His head rang heavily, and his brain throbbed with pain like it would explode.

This was the consequence of using Cursed Voice to kill so many Awakened Beasts.

Even as his eyes closed, Kaiser had a satisfied smile on his face. Before he completely fell unconscious, he saw strands of purple hair flowing before him.

’Hm?’

Everything went dark.

......

When the chaos abruptly ended, the first-year students were stunned and disoriented. Most were frozen mid-swing, ready to cut apart the creatures before them.

However, the Nectar Bees were no more. An unsettling realization settled in. They had all heard someone speak before the tragedy occurred to the Nirad Creatures.

Who was it? A student? An instructor?

Still, every discomfort was soon replaced by relief. The enemies were gone, and they were finally free from their nightmare.

"I think I’ve developed insect-phobia." Someone whispered, a pale smile on their lips.

As the respective class leaders tried to reorganize their mates, the instructors stood some distance away—unnoticed.

Every one of them was confused.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Natalie asked, an incredulous expression on her face.

They were on their way to rescue the students when they heard a faint whisper, and saw the Nectar Bees start exploding.

Myke stood still with an unnerving smile on his face. "Do you know? It might be a student. Someone that powerful—"

"—isn’t supposed to exist." Rina interrupted him, her expression serious.

Glaring at the man, she continued. "A student capable of wielding such power has become a catastrophic-level being."

In this case, Rutherford agreed with her. "Rina is right. If it is really a student, then the special evaluations and Nirad Raids are nothing but a playground to them."

The severity of the situation made him frown, as he disliked the presence of anomalies.

Steve suddenly spoke, his expression subtle. "What if it’s not a student? Perhaps it might be the chairman himself. He’s the only one capable of eradicating these things through such means."

His speculation was indeed logical. All the creatures present in this forest were tamed by the chairman himself.

Therefore, he had the absolute authority over them.

"I-is that so? Then it’s a relief."

Natalie sighed, patting her sizable chest softly. She was convinced that this was the chairman’s doing. Even Myke and Rina gradually accepted the idea, though Myke seemed disappointed.

’The chairman? I doubt it.’ Rutherford remained skeptical. ’The chairman would rather let us repel them rather than completely eradicating them.’

However, he didn’t voice his opinion to avoid endless arguments and speculations. In his heart, he was determined to find who was responsible for the abrupt massacre.

"If it’s really the chairman, then he’s around? I’m so nervous." Natalie squealed, anxious.

A single glance from Rutherford made her shut up. He looked away, sizing up the injured students. "The chairman would have revealed himself to us if he wanted. Don’t think too much about it."

As a personal disciple of Chairman Jonathan, he knew a lot about the old man’s personality.

"What should we do next then?" Rina asked, her arms folded. "Do we end the raid prematurely or we let them continue?"

Steve stretched in his heavy armor, grunting. "Let’s just allow them some time to rest. Tomorrow morning, they can resume hunting Nirad Creatures."

The others agreed. That was the best option for now.

Flapping the wide sleeves of his attire, Myke smiled slyly. "It seems there will be a lot of students dropping out of the raid after this incident."

Although his tone was mocking, his words were true. Several students had been scarred by the great battle and would always be haunted by the memories until they can overcome the trauma.

"Hmm, whatever. I’ll go inform them about their little break."