CLEAVER OF SIN

The Rank 5 Emovira could not understand what was happening at the moment. It had just been forcefully summoned for an unknown reason, and before it could even react or become angry at whoever had dared to summon it, it received information telepathically from an Emovira of a higher existence, commanding it to kill the child standing before it.

Without the power or authority to disobey such an order, it agreed immediately, believing the mission to be quick and simple. After all, what could a mere child possibly do to a being like itself, a Rank 5 Emovira, an existence far beyond mortals?

Yet all of those thoughts collapsed into absolute nothingness the instant it felt its perception of the world violently flip upside down. Its head soared into the air, severed cleanly from its body, while its remaining form disintegrated into dust. Thoughts raced through its mind at lightning speed in what little time it had left, confusion and disbelief flooding its consciousness. It had barely begun speaking, barely had time to exert its Malice and attempt to force the child to kill himself, and now, now it was dead. Its existence ended so abruptly that it could not even comprehend how it had failed.

Asher sighed softly as his dazzling white frame dissipated the next second, the radiance fading as he mentally deactivated his Star Form. His body returned to its normal state. He had just finished a brutal battle with Blue, a fight in which he had barely managed to match the assassin by pushing every ability he possessed to its limits. And now, before he could even catch his breath, yet another enemy had appeared on the stage.

Asher knew very well that one of the primary reasons his battle with Blue had been dragged out for so long was because of the assassin's Nullification ability. That single power had restricted him repeatedly, forcing him to fight cautiously and adapt on the fly. If that ability had not existed, Asher was confident that he could have held his own against Blue and killed him within a few minutes, perhaps even faster.

He was not about to risk another prolonged fight with this new enemy, an Emovira. He knew nothing about its abilities, its limits, or its nature, and he did not have the luxury of gathering information in the middle of combat. There was no room for experimentation or hesitation. That was precisely why he had gone all out from the very beginning, choosing overwhelming force over caution.

'Are Emovirae working with the humans?' Asher thought as his eyes narrowed slightly. His mind spun rapidly as he began to draw conclusions. To him, the mere fact that Blue's corpse had managed to summon something so dangerous meant that his earlier assumptions were likely correct. This was not an isolated incident, nor was it a coincidence.

His thoughts drifted toward the Noble houses. Back on Earth, before his transmigration, he had read countless stories and novels where Noble houses always worked with the enemy for absurd, unrealistic benefits like overthrowing kings, usurping emperors, or grasping at power that was never meant for them. And, without fail, those stories always ended the same way: in betrayal, failure, and death.

'Which Noble house?' his thoughts continued to churn as he recalled the various Noble families he could remember. Then his train of thought abruptly shifted. 'Why am I even thinking about Noble houses? The Assassin Leader would definitely know something.' His focus snapped back to the true core of the issue.

There was no need to speculate about Noble houses at all. This was clearly a matter directly related to his assassination, something that had been sanctioned, or at the very least approved, by the Assassin Leader. But another question quickly surfaced in his mind. Should he report this to his father or his brother immediately, or should he wait until he grew more powerful and take revenge with his own two hands?

Asher knew with certainty that the Assassin Leader would, by default, be at the peak of the Life Rank. Such a being was far beyond what he could currently handle. Even if he combined every technique he possessed with his Star Form, it would still be impossible for him to confront such a man head-on.

At the same time, he also knew he could not afford to simply wait and grow stronger at a leisurely pace. What if the Assassin Leader decided to come personally instead of sending more assassins after him? Those lesser assassins would all end in failure, just like Blue, but the Leader himself was an entirely different matter.

'This is getting more annoying,' he sighed inwardly.

'Going by the cliche novels I've read,' Asher continued thinking, 'the Assassin Leader probably already knows that Blue is dead. That means I don't have much time before he comes himself.' He tilted his head slightly as he pondered the situation.

'How do I tell Father and Big Brother?' Asher thought to himself. Although he did not particularly like being saved or relying on others, that did not mean he was foolish enough to ignore danger when it exceeded his limits. He knew when to step back and when to advance, and his confrontation with Cindralis had been a perfect example of that judgment.

'I'll have to teleport to the Wargrave Estate after the mission… meaning within a day or two at most,' a plan slowly took shape in his mind. He would complete the first half of the escort mission, then teleport directly to the Wargrave Estate and activate whatever ancient magical signal or hidden alarm the family might have prepared for emergencies.

After that, he would teleport back to the frontier, where William, Finch, and the rest of the soldiers stationed there would be waiting. With that plan firmly established, Asher immediately set his next course of action: end this assassination attempt completely and finish the mission without further complications.

With a mere thought, Astra energy pulsed violently through his body, surging from his Astra veins like a living force. His Light affinity flickered across his skin in faint flashes, wrapping him in an almost divine glow. Then, in an instant, he vanished with a deafening whooshing sound, his body tearing through the sound barrier at an impossible speed.

Seconds passed as he crossed over two kilometers with ease. The next moment, the distant sound of battle reached his ears. Without slowing down or pausing for even a fraction of a second, he adjusted his direction and shot straight toward the source of the noise.

There, Finch could be seen fighting with everything he had, pushing himself to the brink against multiple attackers. Asher did not pity him, nor did he spare him a sympathetic glance. His form merely flickered in a blinding flash of white and gold, and in the very next second, every assassin troubling Finch was decapitated. Blood sprayed into the air as their bodies collapsed, the only thing they had seen before death being a golden glow and a white flash, their consciousness slipping away instantly.

Without even pausing to look at Finch, Asher vanished once more and appeared before William. He performed the same sequence with ruthless efficiency, erasing the assassins there just as easily. As for the rest of the team under Norman, it was clear they did not need his help. Seeing that, Asher remained at a distance, watching calmly. If the battle dragged on for more than five minutes, he would intervene.

Although it was undeniably rude, Asher did not care in the slightest. His life was at stake here, not Norman's, and not his personal crew's.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Met a lot of authors today, realized how small and insignificant I am, lol.

Anyway, expect the second chapter around 9 am China time... will try to release it then.