Breaking Free

It was like everything started to move in extreme slow motion for Reese and Kylee. They stared unblinkingly at Asher's incomparably cold gaze that sent endless shivers down both of their spines.

Everything about Asher at this moment made Reese and Kylee feel like they were genuinely about to die. To Asher's hell-like gaze, his immense Magical Aura, and actual Killing Intent!

Just like this, Asher would kill them without barely any effort on his part.

So effortlessly, quick and simple….it suddenly clicked in both Reese and Kylee's minds at this moment.

The way Asher is restlessly pressuring them, giving them zero chance to even breathe, would be precisely the same in any other battle. If they were to continue down this road of cultivation, then one day, they might, no, will inevitably end in a situation exactly like this again.

This, the sensation of everything in your life getting irreversibly changed in just a mere moment, this is the authentic cultivation experience!

Upon this realization, Reese and Kylee felt a more significant click rattle their entire mental state.

In the state of near-death, both of them suddenly started to recall memories that went by in a flash.

Unlike Asher or any other Ranking Genius students, Reese and Kylee fit the bill of the ordinary to an absolute T. Especially before they met Asher, their lives were meandering generic.

They both came from working-class homes, had decent families that love them and are able to support them, and were able to get into Balreth Academy.

Even though Reese and Kylee prefer to be their own, neither had any trouble mingling with students and conversing at social gatherings. They weren't even targets of the Kane Gang and had appropriately kept their heads down around them.

For years, both of them were set in stone by the average way of living.

That is until they met with Asher.

By really a lucky chance, Asher was the one to randomly seek them out on his first days of the Academy, requesting for them to show him around.

And from that chance encounter, the three of them soundly hit it off. Afterward, Asher continually did all kinds of wild actions that went against the stereoptical status quo.

The main driving force of change was his repeated stance against the Kane Gang. Someone who Reese and Kylee initially thought was as another typical and generic as themselves is able to take a firm stance against this behemoth of a gang.

And more shockingly, Asher won every single time. It didn't even matter now that they're all System Soul cultivators; Asher had even beaten their strongest Early Stage Spirit Tier member.

Initially, when they gazed upon Asher's quick rise from the far, Reese and Kylee believed that he would be the only rare exception to break the standard status quo rule.

But when Asher informed them both that he gotten insanely strong from the System's mission and he could help them too, it massively impacted both Reese and Kylee's minds.

Day and night, they started to gradually think; can they really break free from their mediocrity of life?

They firmly believed that Asher is still someone from a common background, so reasonably, couldn't they also attain close to his level of strength with a System mission?

The only thing that was firmly holding Reese and Kylee back from taking a chance on these questions was their understandable fear of death.

Before today, neither Reese nor Kylee had even participated in a battle where they would suffer any painful injuries.

But at this moment, seeing Asher's axe, which looked like Death's Scythe to them, finally broke something open within Reese and Kylee.

'Power!!' On their instinctive fight or flight response, Reese and Kylee chose to fight!

They're common background students just like Asher; they wanted to grow just as powerful as him and break the standard norm of their lives! Their sudden enlightenment happened instantly, and it ignited a burning desire hidden deep within Reese and Kylee.

Right as Asher got within twenty feet from them, Reese and Kylee snapped their hands forwards, fiercely forced down the excruciating pain, and gather a tremendous sum of energy.

"We won't give!!"

Reese and Kylee simultaneously shouted with intense determination filing their bones. Instantly, Reese discharged an Orange Flaming Barrier while Kylee shot out a Water Barrier.

'Hm. I see….' Asher felt his smirk widen as he saw a clear shift had occurred within Reese and Kylee's expression.

He didn't know what was exactly going through their minds, but he can tell they must've reached some sort of enlightenment.

Even though Asher felt guilty over using genuine Killing Intent on his friends, he also knows that anyone would tremendously change in a state of impossibly looming death.

Although he saw his friends experience a profound change, Asher still wasn't going to let up.

Without any hesitation, Asher reached the Magical Barriers within seconds and violently struck his axe right on them.

'Bang!'

Fire and Water Magical Power sprayed into tiny droplets as Asher's axe easily destroyed Reese and Kylee's Magical Barriers.

The force of the chaotic Magical Powers explosions caused Reese and Kylee to blast off in entirely opposite directions.

Unlike how Reese and Kylee leaked out anguish wails the first time Asher blasted away, this time, they both savagely clenched down on their teeth. They both suppressed any grunts of pain since they knew their minds would only become more scrambled if they focused on it.

Aware of what they were doing, Asher snapped his attention towards his right side, where he had sent Reese flying.

Asher's figure blurred again, dashing straight towards Reese while having his axe aimed directly at his chest.

Once again, the genuine sensation of incoming death filled Reese's mind. But, with how swift Asher was approaching him, he didn't have many options to face this attack.

Reese defensively raised his flaming arms in his last desperation, already having no hope this would actually do anything.

Asher was only six feet away from Reese and was about to knock him out of the spar. But right then, Asher sensed a stream of energy nearly instantly approaching him, forcing him to take his attention off Reese.

Nearly surprising him, Asher felt and saw Kylee's Water tentacle tightly wrap around his axe-wielding arm. Her Water tentacle attempted to crush his bone and pull him towards her, but she was obviously too weak.

Asher peered over to Kylee only to see she was kneeling on the ground with an exhausted expression. Her right arm was strutted forward and at the center of her palm was the Water tentacle that was currently wrapped around Asher's arm.

Keeping his indifferent battle stride, Asher fully turned over to Kylee and pulled his arm in towards his chest, causing Kylee to sail right at him!

Kylee's eyes nearly burst from her sockets as she saw Asher's axe rapidly approach her face.

"Kylee!"

Reese ferociously roared behind Asher, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he slammed his flaming palms into the soil.

The heat explosively increased around Asher, causing him to take his attention from Kylee and whip back around to Reese.

Asher raised a curious eyebrow as he witnessed a stream of orange flames burst through the ground and sail right at him.

Feeling curious more than anything, Asher simply struck his fist against Reese's Magical Flames stream and easily decimated it into tiny wisps of flames.

"Hoh?"

Out of all the reactions he expected from Reese, Asher got even more confused when seeing he had this strange yet confident smirk.

Soon enough, Asher realized the reason for this small bout of confidence as he sensed another stream of energy sail over from Kylee's side.

Glancing back over to her, Asher spotted a large Water Arrow shooting directly towards his face.

'Hmmm….time to end this.' Asher sensed this was the limit of Reese and Kylee's powers and decided to bring this spar to a close.

In a fraction of a second, Asher raised two of his fingers, coated them with Ghost Lightning energy, and discharged two Ghost Lightning tethers from them.

One of Asher's Ghost Lightning tether blitz towards Kylee, effortlessly destroying her Water Arrow, and wrapped her whole body up without her even realizing what was going on.

The exact same process happens to Reese as Asher's Ghost Lightning tether quickly wrapped him up.

"Ng-Gaa!!" This time, neither Reese nor Kylee could hold their anguish wails.

Now, there was a continuous stream of Asher's overwhelming power pouring into their bodies, suppressing them down to their souls. With both seemingly incapacitated Asher started to say,

"Now that was a go-"

"We won't give!!"

Suddenly, Reese and Kylee interrupted Asher as their Magical Auras explosively increased to heights they had never reached before!

On instinct, Reese and Kylee snapped open their mouths, amassing a colossal sum of power in there.

Asher curled his eyebrows, this power they were charging….it was even nearing the heights of when Zara unleashed her Spirit Aura!

'Chi!'

An Orange Flaming beam spewed from Reese's mouth, and an Azura Water beam blasted from Kylee's mouth in just a second.

Both Magical beams soared at top speeds towards Asher, but he was entirely unconcerned.

Asher struck out with both of his fists, going even faster than the Magical beams, becoming an untraceable blur in the wind. Reese and Kylee's Magical beams didn't stand a chance against Asher's fists. They exploded into tiny bits immediately on the first contact.

Immediately after destroying their last attack, Asher pulled Reese and Kylee with his Ghost Lightning tethers and dropped them both just a few feet from in front of him.

Snapping his fingers, Asher dispersed the Ghost Lightning tethers and obverse Reese and Kylee's current state.

"That….that…." Both Reese and Kylee were on the verge of collapsing.

Not only had they used up all of their Magical Energies, but they also were under tremendous amounts of pain.

Before they entirely passed out, Asher ignited his ring and brought out two healing pills.

Because Elsa couldn't help but worry about him, she started to graciously give Asher more healing pills, constantly reminding him to always have these if he decided to train without her.

And though Asher doesn't need it at the moment, he didn't mind sharing it with his friends at all.

Without waiting, Asher walked over to Reese and Kylee, crouched down, and offered the healing pills to them.

"Here, take this. Don't ask; just eat. The pain will immediately go away."

Under the terrible state they were in, Reese and Kylee followed Asher's instruction on instinct. They immediately shoved the healing pills into their mouths.

"Hmmm….oh-Ah!!"

Within just a second, Reese and Kylee raised surprise squeals. Their bodies were getting quickly alleviate from the pain and filled with warm healing energy.

Reese and Kylee snapped their eyes up to Asher, who stood back on his feet. There was an immense swirl of gratefulness within their eyes, but before they could give their thanks, Asher spoke first.

"That fight you gave….that's the making of a true System soul cultivator! Never giving up, even until the very end, is what we need to never forget. So let me ask you two again. Will you run away from changing your talent or accept going on this mission with me and break past your shell."