CLEAVER OF SIN

Blue didn't think for long. Although, on the surface, it might have appeared that he could regain the advantage the moment he deactivated his Nullification ability, he understood with absolute clarity that he would not. If deactivating his Nullification was truly the correct move, if it would place him at an advantage and the Tenth Sun at a disadvantage, then the Tenth Sun would have already been pressing him, already attacking without restraint. The fact that Asher had not done so told Blue everything he needed to know.

Asher was not the only intelligent one present on the battlefield. Blue was just as sharp, just as calculating. With that realization solidifying in his mind, his Nullification ability remained active without hesitation.

His knees dipped forward slightly, his posture compressing for a fraction of a second, and then, boom, he vanished in a burst of explosive movement. He launched himself forward at a blitzing velocity that made the air scream in protest, the invisible wind barrier around him rupturing violently under the sheer force of his acceleration. The ground beneath his feet cracked, and his short sword sang sharply through the air as it tore toward Asher's neck with lethal, unrelenting speed.

Asher reacted instantly the moment Blue closed the distance. His mind snapped into absolute focus, consciousness narrowing until nothing existed beyond the battlefield. His movements became precise, mechanical, stripped of hesitation the moment the clash resumed. As always, he did not attempt to block. Instead, he shifted his body to the side with fluid efficiency, narrowly evading the strike without daring to phase through it. He knew Blue was fully aware of the phasing technique's weakness, and exploiting that flaw now would have been fatal.

His hand blurred in a flash of white. In the very next moment, the air around him screamed violently as Asher bent it to his will through pure physical force alone. He did not rely on any ability, he forced the atmosphere itself into submission. Instantly, hundreds of wind-type crescent sword attacks materialized midair, forming a deadly halo around both him and Blue.

This was a technique he had stolen during his True Awakening, one he had taken from Hillary and refined through his own combat instincts.

Blue felt his mind scream as over a hundred razor-sharp wind crescents converged upon him from every direction. There was no angle to escape, no obvious opening to exploit. He did not have a countermeasure prepared, but he did have a technique.

Without hesitation, he activated it.

In the next instant, his form turned hazy, flickering as though it were shifting between planes of existence. Space seemed to distort around him, and then he vanished completely, reappearing just outside the meter-radius of Asher's attack.

A screaming blast followed.

The converging crescents tore through everything in their path like ribbons of annihilation, shredding the environment without mercy or discrimination. Trees were diced apart, earth was carved open, and the ground screamed beneath the assault. Dust and smoke surged upward in a violent plume, churning into a thick haze that swallowed Asher's vision whole.

Yet Asher did not move.

He remained standing calmly within the swirling chaos, posture relaxed but alert. He knew that even if Blue attempted to capitalize on the obscured vision and attack from within the haze, he would still be able to react in time. His perception, his instincts, and his combat experience ensured that much.

But surprisingly, Blue did not attack.

Instead, he remained just outside the churning cloud.

When the dust and smoke finally began to settle, the devastation became clear. Rampaging sword marks scarred the earth in every direction, carving deep trenches into the ground like the aftermath of a natural catastrophe.

And then there was something else.

Surrounding Asher stood Blue, or rather, multiple versions of him.

Illusionary Blues walked around Asher in perfect circles, their forms looping endlessly at a speed even Omni Perception could not properly register. Their figures remained hazy and indistinct, phasing in and out of clarity, yet Asher did not react. He did not move an inch.

The battle was reaching its climax.

At this point, the first to make a mistake would be the one to die.

The moment Blue sensed an opening, real or perceived, he acted. Without hesitation, he shot forward in a blur, every illusionary visage of himself converging toward Asher from all directions at once. The assault was overwhelming in appearance alone.

Asher immediately understood that this was not a traditional illusion ability. If it had been, it would never have worked against him.

He did not attempt to block.

Instead, the earth beneath his feet collapsed inward as he launched himself upward in a powerful leap, his figure tearing into the sky.

Blue's black eyes snapped upward instantly. In the next second, he propelled himself into the air in pursuit, deactivating his illusionary movement technique mid-motion once it became clear that it was ineffective against Asher. However, before he could even cross fifty feet of vertical distance, Asher had already teleported away.

Asher was never going to allow Blue to transition the battle into an aerial confrontation.

The moment Blue's feet touched the earth again, Asher was already there. Virelass booming forward in a streak of silver as Asher thrust toward Blue's chest with murderous precision. The assassin, however, parried the attack to the side with effortless ease, his movements smooth and practiced.

Asher instantly recalibrated. This time, he did not retract Virelass, instead, his free hand blurred toward the three short daggers hanging from his sword belt. He unsheathed one in a flash and stabbed directly toward Blue's throat.

The next moment, blade met flesh. There was no block. No evasion. Perfect contact.

Before Asher's mind could settle into calm satisfaction, his eyes tore wide open in shock. The silver short dagger shattered into countless shards the instant it made contact with Blue's body, metal exploding outward uselessly.

'Shit.'

Asher cursed inwardly as realization struck him like a hammer.

He knew exactly why the dagger had failed. It was not because Blue had activated a technique or employed any hidden defense. No, the simple truth was that the quality and durability of the blade were far too low to injure someone of Blue's caliber. Even Asher himself would not have been harmed by any ordinary blade. As strength increased, so too did the resilience of one's body.

In the world of Crymora, no true powerhouse was a glass cannon.

Asher realized his mistake immediately. He had subconsciously associated the short daggers with Lyra's equipment, assuming they were on the same level as the breastplate and vambrace she had given him. But they were not. These daggers had been issued by a Star Academy facilitator, useful against weaker opponents, but utterly worthless here.

Blue capitalized instantly.

His foot tore upward with devastating force, aiming to obliterate Asher's head in a single crushing blow.

Before the strike could land, Virelass intervened. She vanished from Asher's left hand, her silver form reappearing directly in the path of Blue's kick in a flash of light. A deafening blast erupted as metal collided with metal. The resulting shockwave thundered outward, slamming directly into Asher's chest at point-blank range. Inertia seized control of his body, and he was hurled backward like a kite caught in a storm, tearing through trees and debris alike.

Asher grit his teeth and endured.

He had made a fatal mistake, if only for a split second. Without Virelass acting of her own accord, he knew he would have died. Even abilities like Battle Intuition, Instinctive Adaptation, and Optimal Movement Efficiency were not reality-warping miracles.

His body twisted midair as his mind snapped toward a new plan. His head jerked upward, purple eyes locking onto his opponent only to meet a black blur of blade inches from his face.

Asher instantly activated Hillary's movement technique and vanished, but not without consequence. His entire left ear and arm were torn away, flesh and blood exploding outward in a horrific spray of bone and gore.

Pain slammed into his consciousness as his pain receptors screamed in overload. In the next instant, Virelass returned to his grip, appearing seamlessly in his hand. Regeneration began immediately, but neither Asher nor Blue waited for its completion.

They pressed on, their battle reaching its absolute peak.

Asher hurled another short dagger toward Blue's head to interrupt his advance, but the assassin merely tilted his head slightly, dodging the projectile with absurd ease. The dagger trembled as it embedded itself into the earth behind Blue.

Blue prepared to move, too late. His mind and soul screamed in unison. He felt it in real time, a blade tearing through his heart and chest from behind, erupting from the front in a crimson spray.

His black eyes widened in disbelief, slowly, he turned his head. Behind him stood Asher, Virelass buried deep within Blue's heart, blood spilling freely onto the ground below.

Their gazes met.

Purple eyes overflowing with life.

Black eyes fading with every passing second.

And with that, the battle ended.

Asher Wargrave stood victorious.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm already on a plane to China. Wish me a safe journey... With a super gift (smirks)