CLEAVER OF SIN

Blue stared down at the blade that had torn through his heart from behind. His head shifted slightly, his gaze landing on Asher, who stood behind him with Virelass gripped firmly in his hands. Although the life within his eyes was rapidly fading, they were still filled with pure shock. Blue could not understand how this supposedly simple mission had turned into this… into something else entirely.

Yes, he had seen Asher teleport twice during the span of their battle. During the first teleportation, he had assumed it was merely a simple technique of some sort. The second time, he had attributed it to the Tenth Sun's rapier ability. However, since the Tenth Sun had not teleported directly in front of him, Blue had assumed that the Tenth Sun's rapier could not fully resist his Nullification ability.

That assumption had been wrong.

Although he desperately wanted to ask how, he could not. He had lost all strength, and the life within his mind, eyes, and body was fading rapidly. His remaining thoughts barely lingered, running on only a few fleeting seconds granted to him by the moment itself.

'It seems that after killing so many, I've finally joined those I've killed,' he thought to himself as his black eyes slowly closed. As an assassin, he, and others like him, had always been taught to expect death in every mission, whether it was theirs or their target's. That was precisely why they completed every mission no matter the cost. They were trained to move forward without hesitation, without fear, without regret. Yet now, right before his very eyes, his own time had finally come.

'Assassin Leader… it seems things are going to be hard for you for a while,' he mused silently as the final light within his eyes faded. His thoughts drifted to the information he had given to Asher earlier, information he had delivered ever so eagerly under the belief that the Tenth Sun would die here.

How ironic.

Asher's hand twisted slowly. The rapier embedded in Blue's heart and chest twisted further, releasing a gory, mind-numbing sound that echoed faintly in the air. Then, without the slightest hesitation or visible strain, Asher drew his rapier out from Blue's chest. With a gentle thud, Blue's body dropped to the earth below like every other corpse in existence. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the ground a deep crimson, while Asher simply stared down at the body with an utterly apathetic gaze.

There was no pity or sympathy in his eyes. The man beneath him had come for his head, was there any reason to pity someone who sought his death? Absolutely not.

The method by which he had killed Blue was simple, yet ruthlessly efficient. Virelass possessed the ability to teleport to any of three locations upon which she had placed a mark, regardless of distance, without resistance, and without any Astra energy cost. Asher always placed the first mark at the Wargrave Ducal Estate. The second mark was left at the Star Academy within the Separate Dimension. As for the third and final mark, Asher reserved it exclusively for emergency situations, situations exactly like his battle with Blue.

Yes, the short silver dagger he had attacked Blue with was useless against a body as resilient as Blue's. However, that did not mean Asher could not use it. He had marked the short silver dagger with Virelass' third and final mark before throwing it toward Blue's head. Although the dagger would not even dent or scratch Blue's skin, it did not mean the assassin would allow it to touch him, and Asher had fully banked on that instinctive reaction.

Blue had dodged by tilting his head to the side, allowing the dagger to embed itself into the earth behind him. In that exact moment, Asher teleported to the dagger's location. The surprise, the false information, the timing, and the absolute precision of the movement had sealed Blue's fate instantly.

The very next moment, Asher collapsed to his knees as exhaustion crashed down upon him like a tidal wave. His mind felt unbearably tired, his body impossibly heavy. He had pushed himself to his absolute limit, relying solely on physical strength while continuously using various assassination techniques to forcibly empower his body. He had gone beyond what was natural, beyond what should have been possible, without Astra or any other form of energy to support him.

Then, suddenly, Asher felt it.

His connection to his energies and elemental affinities returned.

He felt his bond with Star Energy snap back into place as if it had never been severed. His Astra energy surged violently through his Astra veins, pulsing like a broken dam that had been held back for years before finally giving way. The familiar sensations and intimate connection with space, gravity, and lightning returned to him all at once, flooding his body and mind.

Strength returned to him in the very next moment. Along with the return of his abilities and energies came something more, a breakthrough. His Limitless Physical Growth ability, under the Absolute Physique, activated as his body shattered through its limits at that precise moment. The strain, the pressure, the suffering he had endured had finally borne fruit.

'Sigh… it couldn't have come at a more perfect time,' Asher thought to himself as he rose back to his feet. His stamina was restored, his mind clear and sharp once more, each aspect of his being returning to its respective peak. He let out a deep sigh of relief. Although he had killed Blue, he was still standing in the middle of a battlefield, and a battlefield was always an unknown. Just because Blue was dead did not mean the battle itself was over.

Victory was never guaranteed until everything ended.

Asher's thoughts shifted to the Grave Rank Goblin that had attacked the Rivelle Barony. He wondered why he had not broken through his limits then. Even during the time when Cindralis had pressured him with her overwhelming presence, forcing him to resist with everything he had, there had been no physical breakthrough. Despite enduring that immense strain, his body had remained unchanged.

After considering these events repeatedly, Asher ultimately decided to stop thinking about it. The Limitless Physical Growth ability was not something he could consciously control. There was no reason to dwell on something that lay entirely beyond his command.

'I hope the others are okay,' Asher thought, his eyes shifting toward the distance. The forest stretched endlessly in every direction. Battles could be occurring kilometers away at that very moment. Yet it did not concern him. If necessary, he could reach them within seconds.