CLEAVER OF SIN

Asher's purple eyes followed the towering silhouette of Ryaen's imposing bone titan as it thundered forward, tearing through the land like a force of nature. He watched it vanish into the distant horizon, his gaze lingering for a moment longer before he finally tore it away, allowing his attention to settle upon the scene of devastation all around him.

The destruction was staggering, almost surreal, a landscape scarred by calamity. Even the intense battle between himself and Hillary had never birthed such a catastrophic apocalypse.

His thoughts wandered back to his previous life as Ethan. Humanity, fragile and limited as it was, could never have hoped to create such devastation without resorting to weapons like nuclear bombs. The sheer scale of ruin here was almost incomprehensible compared to the earth he once knew.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind: even with his current strength, could he survive the detonation of a nuclear weapons? He did not know, nor did he particularly care to dwell on it.

'If anyone had wielded this much power back on Earth, they would have ruled the world already,' Asher thought inwardly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the charred forest, over the trees reduced to ash and the heavy smoke that churned endlessly into the sky.

Then his eyes shifted, tilting upwards towards the vast scoreboard suspended in the heavens above the forest. His name still shone brilliantly in first place, but it was not merely his position that caught his attention, it was the overwhelming gap between himself and the competitor beneath him. The margin was almost laughable, a gulf so wide it mocked the very idea of competition.

Asher shook his head with faint indifference, realizing how far ahead he already was. The exam no longer held any meaning for him. His battle with Ryaen had filled him with a strange, quiet fulfillment, a rare sense of satisfaction. He did not wish to tarnish that fleeting happiness with something as trivial as chasing points.

So, he began to walk calmly. He did not search for enemies, nor did he avoid them. But disinterest in conflict did not mean that conflict would not come seeking him.

Each step he took was light, almost careless, his boots kissing the scarred earth with an effortless grace. Virelass, his weapon and companion, floated loyally at his side, her silver surface gleaming faintly as she hummed a low, melodic tune. She seemed almost joyful, as though she too relished finally stretching herself freely after being restrained.

Asher's eyes wandered to the small details that most would ignore. He admired the delicate sway of leaves whispering against the wind, the resilience of trees that had somehow survived the devastation, the winding streams of water glistening in the dim light, the mountains looming proudly in the distance, and the rolling hills that stretched endlessly.

While countless others battled desperately for points, clawing for survival, Asher wandered as though he were simply a traveler on a leisurely tour. To him, it felt like his final day in Crymora, a day to simply breathe and observe.

He paused by a stream, its waters running clear despite the chaos surrounding it. The gentle current carried fish that darted swiftly along its path, their scales catching the light in shimmering hues.

He listened to the rhythmic murmur of the water as it cascaded over stones, its soothing cadence a stark contrast to the battles raging elsewhere. For a fleeting moment, it was as if the recent clash had never happened.

But serenity was never meant to last.

The instant Asher turned to leave, the ground beneath him erupted. A hand shot forth from the soil, dagger in hand, slicing upward with lethal intent towards his neck. Asher did not even blink. He did not bother to move. Virelass flashed forward in a streak of silver, intercepting the strike with a resounding clang that echoed like thunder.

Exposed, the assailant instantly tried to retreat, attempting to dive back into the ground. But Virelass was merciless. She streaked forward once again, her razor-like edges shrieking through the air toward the shadowy figure.

The attacker, however, displayed skill, deflecting her assault with surprising ease before vanishing seamlessly into the earth's embrace.

Asher did nothing. He neither spoke nor moved. He merely watched the spectacle unfold with indifferent, unshaken composure. Then, almost lazily, he exhaled a sigh of boredom, as though the assailant's efforts were beneath his notice.

Purple Astra surged through his Astra veins, flowing to his feet in an unrestrained tide. In response, lightning burst into existence, exploding outward in brilliant arcs of purple that tore through the ground beneath him.

The earth convulsed violently as radiant lightning swallowed it whole, illuminating everything in a sphere of crackling destruction.

But there was no scream, no cry, not even a shred of evidence that his opponent had suffered. The silence was unnerving, almost mocking. The assailant had simply vanished as though swallowed whole by the void.

Asher arched an eyebrow, his curiosity faintly piqued.

'He can phase through solid matter? Then does that mean he phased through my lightning as well?' His mind worked swiftly, already piecing together the truth of the enemy's ability.

He waited a few seconds, expecting the man to resurface, but nothing happened. No attack came. No shadow stirred. But Asher was in no mood to play games of cat and mouse. He had no patience for drawn-out theatrics when his time could be better spent wandering freely.

Astra pulsed once more within him, and this time, he did not summon lightning. He summoned gravity itself. But not in its natural form, he reversed it.

The forest shifted at his command. Space groaned and twisted as gravity inverted, flipping violently in reverse. In an instant, everything within fifty meters was ripped from the earth and hurled skyward with terrifying force.

Chunks of soil and stone broke free, trees were violently uprooted, dirt and debris spiraled upward, all as though the heavens had become a ravenous abyss pulling the world into its maw.

Only Asher stood untouched, perfectly anchored amidst the chaos.

The assailant's eyes widened in shock as his body was wrenched from hiding, dragged screaming into the open air. He could not comprehend how Asher had discovered him. His phasing ability allowed him to merge seamlessly with inanimate matter, rendering him undetectable to nearly all. It was flawless concealment, or so he believed.

But against Asher, such tricks were meaningless. With Perfect Astra Control, Asher could sense the faintest ripple of Astra within all things. No matter how well the assailant concealed himself, his presence was like a torch in the dark.

The moment the man floated helplessly into the air, Asher released his control. Gravity reasserted itself with merciless ease, and everything plummeted back to the ground with bone-crushing momentum.

But Virelass was swifter than gravity. She streaked forward in a dazzling arc of silver brilliance, her bladed edges shrieking as they cut through flesh. The assailant's head separated cleanly from his body in a single stroke, his lifeless corpse crashing into the earth below. Debris rained down mercilessly, chunks of stone and soil collapsing upon his broken form until he was half-buried in ruin.

Asher regarded the pooling blood with a detached expression, his face devoid of emotion. He turned away without pause, continuing his aimless walk as though nothing had occurred. Each time he encountered a criminal or an Emovira, the result was the same: a swift, merciless execution. One strike was often enough. Two, if the target proved agile or fortunate enough to evade the first.

'I wonder why I haven't sensed any exam instructors trailing me? Just how far away are they?' Asher mused silently as he descended a mountain path.

In truth, an instructor had indeed been assigned to monitor him, to ensure his safety should disaster strike. But Asher, with his Perfect Astra Control, had detected nothing, no presence, no trace. The only logical conclusion was that they lingered far beyond his range.

The thought lingered for only a moment before he dismissed it with disinterest. It did not matter. And so, he continued his strange vacation, moving like a specter through the land. Criminals and Emovirae alike sought their deaths eagerly, and Asher, indifferent and easygoing, granted them their wishes with ease.