CLEAVER OF SIN

Asher stared at the notification in front of him. The last time the system had asked him to merge with something, it had been the Absolute Physique, a choice that had brought him untold benefits.

He was not foolish. Asher knew very well that his absurd level of talent came directly from that physique. In his past life, all he had possessed was his mind and an above-average body, not even remotely comparable to what he had now.

On Crymora, a world that valued raw strength above all else, intellect alone could only take one so far. At best, without significant martial talent, he might have become an advisor to some noble house.

And even then, his life would have hung by a thread, subject to the whims of those with true power, who could have decided to end him at any moment simply because he was weak.

But that had been the Absolute Physique, and this, this was something entirely different.

He was staring at what could only be described as a literal Star Core Fragment. The sheer thought made his skin prickle. If he attempted to merge with it, wouldn't his body simply explode under the overwhelming energy?

Could Virelass, for all her power, even bring him back if his very being was reduced to scattered motes of cosmic dust?

And yet… how could he bring himself to refuse?

'The system would take care of everything… right?' he asked silently, half seeking reassurance.

The system did not reply. Instead, it simply sent the exact same message again as though hiding an evil smirk.

[Merge?]

Asher let out a long sigh, bracing himself.

'Merge,' he commanded in his mind.

There was no delay. The moment the thought formed, the core shot forward, embedding itself into his chest faster than his eyes could even blink.

His heartbeat faltered for a split second, as if something foreign, something far beyond his comprehension, was forcing itself into the very rhythm of his life.

Then the pain came.

It wasn't ordinary pain. It wasn't even the kind of agony a trained warrior could grit his teeth through. This pain shredded through his every nerve, tore apart the concept of endurance, and burned through the limits of his pain tolerance as if those limits had never existed.

A raw, involuntary scream erupted from his throat as every inch of his being felt as though it was being unmade and remade at the same time. His heart resumed its beating, but now it thundered like a war drum, each pulse sending blood surging through him at a speed that bordered on violent.

The sensation was overwhelming, his own body felt alien to him, a vessel caught in a storm too great to control.

He could sense that something profound was happening within, some monumental change altering the very essence of his existence. But the agony was so all-consuming that he couldn't focus on anything else.

Even so, no one came rushing in to investigate the cries of the Tenth Sun; the barrier the system had erected earlier not only sealed energy, but also sound.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the pain was gone. It didn't fade, it simply ceased to exist. He felt his consciousness tugged, as though an unseen hand had plucked it out from his body.

Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open.

What greeted him was unlike anything he had ever seen. His purple eyes drank in the sight of endless space, vast, silent, infinite. Stars sparkled like scattered diamonds across a sea of darkness. Colossal planets drifted lazily in the distance, aligned in strange yet elegant patterns.

'Is this… outer space? The galaxy itself?' he wondered.

No voice answered. No presence made itself known. Instead, the same invisible force pulled at him again. This time, he did not resist. His eyes drifted shut, and he surrendered to the current.

When they opened once more, he was back in his training chamber. The core that had once floated before him was gone. Instinctively, his hand went to his chest. Beneath his palm, his heart beat with steady, deliberate strength.

'The Star Core Fragment… it seems to have merged with my heart,' he thought.

'System. What happened? Where was that place?' he asked mentally.

[The System does not know what the Host is referring to]

He stared at the reply for a moment, but then dismissed it with a shake of his head. Whatever strange place he had seen could wait. The more pressing matter was the reward for enduring such excruciating pain.

'System. Show me my gains,' he ordered.

[Ding]

[Affirmative, Host]

[The Host has gained a new affinity: The Star]

[The Host now possesses perfect Astra energy control]

Asher froze, eyes widening. A new affinity, and not just any affinity, but the Star.

The words themselves felt unreal.

Shock gave way to exhilaration. He was already imagining himself hurling miniature stars into battle, obliterating empires with a single gesture.

His gaze shifted to the second notification.

Perfect Astra energy control.

Immediately, he could feel it, the Astra particles around him, responding to him as if he were their origin, their master. They pulsed in harmony with his will, as though pleading for him to command them.

With a single thought, he brought every Astra particle in the chamber to a complete halt. The air froze, not physically, but in essence.

Time itself seemed momentarily subdued.

'Cool,' he thought with a smirk. With this, he would no longer need to train his Astra control.

'System, continue with the benefits,' he prompted.

[Ding]

[That is all, Host]

His brow furrowed. 'That's all?'

'System, aren't these gains a bit… small for something as priceless as a Star Core Fragment?'

[It is not that the gains are small, Host. It is that the Host does not yet understand the magnitude of what has been gained by doing nothing more than enduring a little pain]

The frown on his face deepened. He didn't pretend to be ignorant of the system's meaning, he understood there was something here he hadn't fully grasped. Slowly, his mind began to turn over the possibilities.

'The Star affinity…'

A smile, subtle but growing, began to form on his lips.

[It seems the Host has finally realized it]

The system chimed.

[With the Star affinity, the Host can control space, gravity, and light with utmost ease. It is no different from possessing three separate affinities in one]

Asher had reached that same conclusion, but the system was not finished.

[The Host can now utilize true Star Energy, which naturally results in perfect Astra control. Every attack that uses Astra will now be exponentially more devastating]

He blinked. 'Wait… isn't Astra energy the same energy that burst out when the Star Fragment descended into the world? That's what I read in the history books.'

[Negative, Host. Astra energy is merely a byproduct of true Star Energy]

The words left him momentarily stunned. Then his mind spun back to when he had first felt the core. The energy he had felt, it had been familiar, yet distant, like something he'd always known but never understood.

And now, the implications sank in. If Star Energy could enhance every attack he made, if even his lightning strikes became far more lethal, then this was more than just an affinity. It was a complete rewriting of his combat potential.

A wide grin spread across his face. 'It seems I'll have to start training immediately. Now I finally have something worth burying myself in until the Academy begins, or whatever else comes my way.'

And without wasting another moment, he began.