Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 114: Stravos

Stravos couldn’t speak. His entire body was frozen in place, restrained not by chains or force, but by Malrik’s sheer aura alone.

Standing at six feet seven inches, Stravos had a lean, agile build, yet that didn’t mean he relied solely on speed. No, his muscles were finely compacted, layered with strength that belied his frame. Every inch of his physique was honed for power and movement.

He had white hair that shimmered beneath the sunlight, and his eyes were a stark contrast, deep black, like polished obsidian. Hanging at his waist was his weapon of choice: a sabre, its hilt engraved with faint runic etchings.

Just like Wuthenya, his girlfriend, Stravos was also at the Voidstar Life Rank. He and Wuthenya had been dating for over three years now. But, throughout all that time, Malrik had never once approved of their relationship.

He wouldn’t actively sabotage it, of course, but he wouldn’t support it either. Instead, he lingered like a disapproving guardian, observing from a distance like a brooding ’father rooster.’

”Brother, stop bullying him,” Wuthenya said from the side, her voice laced with exasperation and fondness.

Malrik shook his head slightly, then withdrew his aura. Stravos exhaled involuntarily, his body relaxing as if a weight had been lifted from his very bones. He turned toward Malrik briefly, then immediately wrapped Wuthenya in a firm embrace.

”What happened? Your maid told me you were in danger, I got here as fast as I could,” Stravos said, holding her hands tightly in his.

Malrik simply stood off to the side, wordless and relaxed, fading from the central figure of the moment to an idle observer, as if he had never been involved.

Stravos didn’t have all the details. Wuthenya’s personal maid had been ordered to flee immediately when danger struck, she had no idea what was truly going on. So, when she relayed the message to Stravos, it came with no useful context.

Wuthenya sighed and finally spoke. ”I encountered a Rank 10 Emovira.”

Her words sent a chill down Stravos’ spine. Rank 10. That wasn’t something he could even dream of handling at his current level. Though he was strong and talented in his own right, a Rank 10 being was far beyond him. Even some Crownstar Rank warriors would struggle.

But Wuthenya had lied, well, not completely. It was technically the truth. By the world’s standard classification, it was a Rank 10 being. But it wasn’t a typical Emovira. It was something far worse: a Sinvaira.

The Sinvairas were top-tier secrets, known only to a few within the upper echelons of the world. Although Wuthenya would have loved to share everything with Stravos, some truths were better left untold, for his sake and hers.

”I fought it for about two minutes before I lost completely... the gap was immense,” Wuthenya continued, her voice tinged with frustration and reflection.

Stravos was stunned. He couldn’t believe she’d even dared to fight something of that caliber. If he had been in her position, he would’ve fled without hesitation.

Not because he was a coward, far from it, but because he understood reality. There was simply no chance of winning against a Rank 10 Emovira. His odds of survival were better if he ran and hid faraway.

But Wuthenya had done the opposite. She had stood her ground, knowing there was no escape. She had chosen to fight, even when death loomed.

”I don’t know whether to call you brave... or stupid. Don’t you know you should have just run?” Stravos asked, shaking his head.

”It wouldn’t have mattered. Can I even outrun something like that?” Wuthenya replied, her sigh heavy with resignation.

”My brother was the one who saved me and killed it. If he hadn’t arrived when he did, I would’ve died,” she added quietly.

Stravos turned to Malrik, who still stood silently off to the side, expression unreadable.

’He killed a Rank 10 Emovira,’ Stravos thought in disbelief. He had always known that Malrik was powerful, possibly even at the Radiant Soulstar Life Rank, but he had never dared believe Malrik might have already surpassed Azeron.

’Tsk... just how strong is this guy? Not even a single scratch. Not even a torn hem on his clothes,’ Stravos thought, his eyes narrowing as he clicked his tongue.

Though he never voiced it aloud, deep down, Stravos admired Malrik immensely. The man was talented, extremely smart, protective, and renowned. He was practically living the ideal life that Stravos worked tirelessly toward every single day.

His eyes finally scanned the battlefield around them. What remained of the forest was in utter ruin, trees felled like wheat beneath a scythe, sword marks gouged deep into the earth, splitting the terrain into jagged fissures. Trenches and ravines tore open across the land, and sinkholes yawned like hungry mouths.

’Can even a Rank 10 cause this kind of destruction?’ Stravos wondered. He’d always heard that Rank 10 beings could raze Empires, but seeing the aftermath firsthand, especially if it had been mostly a physical battle, was astonishing.

’I need to spar with him again,’ Stravos thought to himself. Malrik had often challenged him to spars, and always defeated him. But Stravos never minded. To him, it was an invaluable chance to learn the way of the sword from someone undeniably superior.

He wielded a sabre, while Malrik wielded a katana, different styles, but the principles of mastery transcended the weapon. And as a commoner, few had been willing to train Stravos unless he swore loyalty. So, to him, getting tossed around in a spar was a fair price for true experience.

Stravos shook off the lingering thoughts and lifted his hand. With a simple snap of his fingers, the air around them cooled, and the temperature dropped significantly.

The sun was high overhead, its rays casting down intense heat, but Stravos wasn’t about to endure it without reason, not when he could just adjust the temperature with a thought.

This was his ability, Ice Manipulation.

”Thank you,” Wuthenya said with a soft smile.

Although the heat barely affected her due to her Life Rank, she still appreciated small, thoughtful gestures like this.

’I can do that too,’ Malrik thought as he stood off to the side, watching Wuthenya smile so affectionately just because Stravos had cooled the temperature.

He could manipulate the sun and solar energy itself. With zero effort, he could lower the intensity of sunlight in his immediate vicinity and produce the same, if not better, cooling effect.

”Let’s go home,” Stravos said, preparing to lift her in a princess carry and race toward Wuthenya’s estate at top speed.

But then Malrik’s voice echoed from the side. ”We have to report to Father, Wuthenya. You can return to your boyfriend later.”

Stravos froze in place once more, halted not by aura this time, but by Malrik’s words.

”That’s true. I’ll meet you later, alright? See you soon,” Wuthenya said, turning to Stravos with a smile before planting a light kiss on his cheek.

”See you later, then,” Stravos said, nodding as he smiled and stepped back.

Wuthenya walked over to stand beside her brother.

Malrik glanced at Stravos one last time before speaking with a dry smile, ”See you never again, kid.”

With that, he placed his hand gently on Wuthenya’s left shoulder, and the two of them vanished in a streak of golden-orange light.