Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 356: Disband

An hour passed before William finally stopped reading, followed shortly by Finch, who gently closed his own book and placed it aside. Their black eyes drifted toward Asher, who had wandered off to the balcony earlier.

He now sat there quietly, completely still, staring up at the sky as though it held answers only he could see. William and Finch rose to their feet almost simultaneously, exchanging a brief glance before heading toward the balcony where Asher sat, lost in thought.

”Are you two done?” Asher asked without turning his head, his senses keen enough to detect their approach long before they reached him.

William lowered himself into a seat beside Asher, and Finch mirrored the action, settling into another chair with a soft sigh. ”We are,” Finch replied calmly, though his breath carried a subtle heaviness, as if the weight of their recent reading lingered in his mind.

”Why did you give up after a few seconds?” William asked, his gaze fixed firmly on Asher. Asher’s purple eyes shifted away from the clear blue sky, landing on William with an expression that was neither annoyed nor defensive, simply honest.

”If I’m so talented with the rapier and in battle,” Asher replied evenly, ”why can’t that same talent extend to reading?”

His words made both William and Finch pause. They exchanged a look, unable to help the creeping suspicion forming in their minds, Asher had likely read and understood the entire content of the book in mere seconds, something that had taken them a full hour.

But they did not voice their thoughts. Instead, they simply sighed inwardly. The boy was already becoming more of a monster with each passing day, progressing at a rate that defied logic and common sense in literally everything. They had simply come to accept it for what it is.

Asher turned his gaze back to the sky, slipping into silence once more. Finch and William seemed to mirror him involuntarily, their eyes drifting upward as they fell into a quiet stillness, doing nothing but sharing the moment.

”Don’t you have training to do?” Asher asked suddenly, his voice cutting cleanly through the silence.

”Don’t you also?” Finch countered with a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

”I’m already the strongest amongst our class,” Asher replied flatly, stating it as a simple fact rather than bragging. The truth in his tone left no room for argument. Neither Finch nor William had a retort; they couldn’t exactly refute something they both knew to be true.

Seeing their silence, Asher spoke again. ”I’m thinking of disbanding... or, to be exact, leaving the team after the third mission.”

The words struck William and Finch like a thunderclap, echoing sharply in their minds. Their thoughts spun wildly as they attempted to decipher the reason behind his decision. Was it because they took a bit of his points? Was it because they were too weak? Had they held him back in some way during the previous mission? Their minds raced faster than any supercomputer, confusion and doubt swirling like a storm inside them.

A frown appeared on both of their faces. The facilitator had already informed them that students could opt for solo missions after completing three teamed missions, but they had never seriously considered it. Somewhere along the line, their minds had accepted the current team as something permanent, something stable that would continue for the foreseeable future.

Asher noticed the frowns clouding their expressions. An hour ago, he himself had been uncertain, telling himself that he would decide after the third mission. But after sitting alone and thinking deeply for the past one hour, he had finally accepted what needed to be done. There was no point delaying the inevitable.

He needed more points, points he could no longer afford to divide. He had too many abilities to train and develop; survival demanded progress, and progress demanded resources. Sharing his points was slowing him down, and he could feel it.

Besides, he needed to grow stronger, much stronger, and he needed to do so quickly. He could not afford complacency or stagnation. One of the surest ways to accelerate growth was by engaging in extreme battles, pushing himself to the edge repeatedly.

Once he began accepting solo missions, he would naturally take on far more difficult and dangerous challenges. If the Logistics and Mission Operations Hall refused to assign him missions above his year level due to him being a first year, then he would simply find an upperclassman to team up with, someone strong enough to accompany him into life threatening situations.

”Why?” William finally asked. His tone carried curiosity, not anger or sadness. William rarely displayed intense negative emotions, and this moment was no exception. Although various explanations had crossed his mind, he still wanted to hear Asher say it himself.

Asher remained silent for a few seconds. There was no reason to lie, no way to soften the truth. He inhaled, exhaled, and then finally spoke.

”From the very beginning, before I even met the two of you to form a team, I already planned to leave once the three missions were completed.” His voice was calm, steady, but a quiet sigh slipped from his lips. Even if he didn’t like the decision he was making, it was necessary.

His eyes shifted toward William as he continued, ”As someone who can copy abilities, I’m sure you know I have a lot of abilities to train and develop. For that to happen, I can’t keep sharing points with the two of you. It would reduce efficiency.” He paused, giving them a chance to absorb the reasoning before he continued. ”And although both of you are strong, you’re not strong enough for the missions I want to take. If you follow me down that path, I will simply be risking your lives, and mine.”

His expression remained composed, but pretending he felt nothing would have been a lie. William and Finch weren’t just classmates, they were his first genuine friends in the entirety of Crymora. The thought weighed on him heavier than he wished to admit. He wasn’t some cold machine that could just toss them aside like they didn’t matter.

William and Finch stayed quiet as they processed his words. A silence settled over the three of them, thick, uncertain, and unspoken.

”Sigh... in other words, we’re too weak and holding you back,” Finch finally said, his voice breaking the stillness with a brittle edge.

Asher turned to look at him and nodded once. That was the distilled truth of the matter. His gaze returned to the sky, his expression calm but thoughtful, wondering how they felt, and how he would have felt if their positions were reversed.