CHAPTER 154: LILITH

The rumors had spread fast, faster than anyone could have thought, one of the Blue Rose’s war camps had fallen, it wasn’t something unusual really, after all, it wasnt like they could win all the time. While the war was slightly one-sided, that didn’t mean they didn’t have losses, rarely, but still.

The problem was how it had fallen, since, instead of being taken by one of the enemy kingdoms, it had been taken by the Withered, or at least it was theorized that the Rebellion had been the one to do it.

If that was true, then the Withered had stepped over the line he had set, and by a lot. They could try to get their independence all they want, but they would lose hope one day, either day, but if they dare interfere with business that doesn’t have anything to do with their freedom, then that’s where he puts things to a stop.

If this really happened, then he had no other choice than to recognize this as the Second true Rebellion the Withered had. There had only been one before it who had lasted this long, had been this united, and most importantly, not even the first, had taken just a big first step over the line.

To take out one of their war camps, how bold, after all, from what he had learned, they were all readers. And while Avius kept telling him how a reader from the Withered is much stronger than one from the Blue Rose, he didn’t think so. A reader was a reader, back in his time, and now.

It was true that if he let them go on, they would continue to cause trouble, and maybe even ascend in class, but he was simply not going to let that happen.

The King walked up to a window, his finger lingering on the glass, as he downed his drink.

"Who would have thought that brat would cause me so much trouble?"

He laughed, clearly intoxicated.

This little trick they had pulled had made people lose their trust in him slightly, since if a camp that was in no way on the weak side could be eliminated by a rebellion from the Withered, led by a Reader, and made out of Reader could eliminate it, then how could they trust them to lead their Kingdom into battle?

...

"Aether Moirai..." He smiled, wickedly, while looking outside the window, and inside the Withered. "You remind me of your mother."

...

...

The King walked through his palace, taking glances outside in the training grounds, where a certain someone rested. Arriving at the battlefield, the figure noticed his presence, turning to him and kneeling in front of him.

"Raise your head."

The boy raised his head, staring at the king with a cocky smile, completly off of his action, from a respectful bow to a cocky smile. And yet, the king didn’t get angry, and instead, smiled back at him.

The boy sheathed his blade, staring the King straight in the eyes. His eyes were like pure snow, completely white, yet near his pupils, they turned light blue in both of his eyes. His hair was without color, white, just like his eyes, yet at the ends of his hair, it turned blue, just like his eyes did. With a mole under both eyes, his smile lines showed his constant smile.

He wore a black shirt, tight around his body, showing his muscular frame for his young age. Cut at the shoulders, you could see a faint pattern painted in the same blue that from his eyes and hair, and it looked to linger deeper on his chest.

His pants were grey and made out of polyester, to be breathable and loose. With its long and black drawstrings.

"What shall I be of service today?" The boy said, the pride and honor ingrained in his voice.

The King sighed, reminded himself of what he was here for.

...

"You remembered when I had called out about that little rebellion? Well, things have gotten more complicated now, and I think that with it continuing to exist, it would only get worse. So, I wish for you to go and destroy it."

...

The boy didn’t respond; instead, he laughed, and at first glance, it would look like he was laughing at the King’s request, but if that was the case, why was the King letting it happen, and why was he smiling?

"You know i don’t like the term destroy."

He turned around, but not to walk away.

Suddenly, the blue part in his hair began to glow, alongside the marks on his shoulder, yet, now that they were glowing, he could see all of the, going down his back and chest. Even his legs were marked, only ending on his neck, not touching his face. Glowing through the fabric of his clothes.

He raised his fist, punching the dummy with his fist, completely pulverizing it as if it had never existed. There were no other remains than the stick that it had been stuck to. The punch had shaken the world, almost as if making it down to him. A burst of extreme energy, accumulated in one place, and produced by one person.

The boy turned back to the King.

"I prefer the term...

Freedom."

...

Lilith, The Vessel of Freedom, The One Lost from the Track, and more importantly, the second strongest Vessel, only second to Cain, but without him being able to get stronger, Lilith would soon take his role.

He was born into a noble family, but not a Celestial family; either way, his family specialized in combat, in the army, where, from a young age, he was taught how to fight, how to kill, and, more importantly, how to use his affinity correctly.

Freedom was a very powerful God, but his affinity had way more potential than anything he had seen. Lilith’s powers revolved around freedom; if he was free, then he was stronger, but if the others around him also took after him, after his freedom, he would grow even stronger; it didn’t have an end.

It got to the point where he could regenerate deep wounds if enough people followed his freedom. So really, if he fought in a crowd full of people to cheer for him and his ways, he would be practically immortal.

And his bane... well, it was more complicated, as for some reason, the Codex only gave a vague description.

’You are a being with an exterior of iron, yet that comes at a cost, since internally, you are as fragile as an egg. You are a force of nature, yet no other power calls out to you.’

While they were able to identify what the second part meant, the first was still... a mystery. He couldn’t use any relics or powers related to mind or core attacks. It was sad, but at the same time, for what did you need them when each of your punches was like a hammer?

If there was someone who could show the Withered that the Blue Rose wasn’t to be messed with, it would he him.

...

...

Aether cursed, his feet slowly slipping, as he pushed harder against the boys blade.

"Oh, come on now, this isn’t fun if you fail to even keep up with me for one second." And after saying that, he pushed one more time, yet this time, it felt as if the world had helped him, as a huge energy shock also came forward, throwing him back.

Aether drove his sword into the ground, catching himself, yet as he looked back, he couldn’t see the boy. He looked to his right and left, but he wasn’t there.

"You forgot to look behind."

Aether quickly turned his head, but there was nothing there. And as he turned his head back, a barrage of slashes awaited him. He raised his arms, trying to block the slashes and keep his head protected, but in the process, his cloak got badly cut.

[Your relic is on the verge of distraction]

He cursed, letting the relic go back inside his core.

The figure looked at his arms, where he noticed his marks, stopping in his tracks, and staring at them.

"Well, would you look at that... the Abyss is back."

He looked around, seeing the other members of Aether’s party; some were injured, while some were ready to attack. Then he looked back at Aether with a dark and serious face, his eyes staring him down, making a shiver run down his spine.

"But why is the Abyss fighting in a team? That’s not right."

...

"Let me fix it for you."

The boy turned away, walking towards Milo, who was the closest.

"Wait, no!" He tried to get up, but he couldn’t; the muscles in his legs had been cut badly, making them unable to move.

’Damn it.’

If he couldn’t stop his physical, he would just use his earring.

With its power, he was able to make the boy think that Milo was a little bit more on the right, missing him just in time.

He exhaled, relieved, knowing that using his earring, he could finally keep his friends safe.

Freedom stood in place, trying to make sense of what had happened. Yet suddenly, he turned back to Aether and walked towards him.

Aether met his serious gaze with a smile on his face, knowing that he had made him focus on him instead of his family.

Yet instead of trying to attack him.

...

Lilith grabbed his earring, and crushed it into pieces.

...

...

[Your relic has been destroyed]