Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 575: Rebound Force

Silence lingered between the four of them as though they were carefully gauging one another, each measuring the others’ intent, movement, and presence. The stillness hung in the air with a strange weight, like the quiet tension before a storm finally broke. Then suddenly, the silence shattered as Number Four tore forward with ridiculous speed, his spear ripping through the air like a knife through butter as he thrust toward Asher’s gut with deadly, pinpoint accuracy.

Asher’s reaction was immediate. His body flowed to the side with fluid precision, his movements smooth and practiced from countless battles. At the same time, his rapier flashed sideways in a silver streak of motion, cutting through the air as it moved toward Number Four’s neck.

But before the attack could even connect, he heard the wind scream behind him. Asher immediately abandoned his attack on Number Four as instinct screamed at him. His body twisted again as he dodged, a vicious slash tearing past the space where he had been standing only a fraction of a second earlier. But the moment he evaded that strike, Number Six had already arrived at his position with silent, ghostlike steps. Her daggers erupted forward like twin vipers lunging for prey, their blades glinting dangerously.

Asher’s wrist blurred as he parried both daggers with graceful ease and flawless efficiency, his rapier moving with the brutality of someone who had honed his skill through countless life or death battles.

Number Four was already on the move. He appeared beside Asher almost instantly, his spear tearing outward with blunt force as he swung the shaft rather than the blade, striking with the weapon as though he were wielding a pole or a heavy staff instead of a spear. The attack carried brutal momentum.

Asher’s purple eyes snapped toward the incoming strike, he had just parried Number Six’s attack and could not draw his rapier back in time to block the incoming blunt force strike. Without hesitation, he raised his right leg. The sole of his foot met the incoming attack directly, connecting with the shaft of the spear. Using both the force of the attack and the shaft of the spear as a temporary foothold, Asher launched himself upward and backward into the sky, creating distance between himself and the three attackers in a single fluid motion.

Before gravity could even begin to drag Asher back toward the earth, Number Six acted swiftly. Her Astra energy pulsed through her veins, glowing faintly beneath her skin. Instantly, a massive golden box manifested above Asher in midair before slamming downward toward him from above.

Asher’s head snapped upward as he suddenly felt something cast a shadow over him. The moment his eyes met the incoming golden box, Asher’s fist erupted upward as he moved to shatter it before it could trap him. But the instant his fist collided with the golden construct, he felt a strange rebounding force surge through it. The box did not break. Instead, it reflected the force of his own attack directly back toward him.

The rebounding power slammed into him violently. Asher’s body tore downward through the air in a streak of motion, his feet crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom. The earth shattered beneath him as a crater ripped open from the force of his sudden landing.

’Her golden box can rebound attacks?’ Asher thought to himself, his eyes narrowing slightly. As he considered it, the mechanism made sense. If someone were trapped within the golden box and attempted to attack from inside it, the box would simply redirect the attack straight back at them, turning their own power against them.

Although he had been caught off guard by the rebounding force of his own strike, Asher remained completely uninjured, but the attackers gave him no space to process his thoughts.

Number Five closed in again from the side, his scimitar blurring outward as he unleashed over a hundred attacks within the span of two seconds. The weapon flashed repeatedly like a storm of steel tearing through the air.

Asher’s reaction was instantaneous. His hand, shoulder, and entire body shifted sideways as he moved to repel the incoming attacks. His arm swung with ridiculous speed and force as his rapier met every strike head-on. Each clash rang through the air with sharp metallic echoes. He matched Number Five speed for speed and strength for strength without missing a single beat.

Asher’s eyes flashed briefly with surprise as he noticed a wide grin hidden behind Number Five’s mask, as though the man were enjoying the battle with pure glee and excitement.

But Asher didn’t have the luxury of focusing on that. Through his Omni Perception, he had already sensed Number Four and Number Six rapidly closing the distance between them once again.

But before any of them could launch their next attack, Asher attacked first. He moved toward both Number Four and Number Six simultaneously. His feet left the ground as he leaped into the air. In his hand, Virelass blurred into a silver streak as he slashed toward Number Six’s neck, while at the same time one of his legs whipped outward in a vicious kick aimed directly at Number Four’s Adam’s apple.

Both of them paused for the briefest instant, surprise flickering in their eyes. They had not expected Asher to abandon his clash with Number Five and target them instead, let alone attack both of them at the same time.

But their surprise did not slow their reactions, they had been through far too many battles for something as simple as surprise to delay their response speed, Number Four immediately raised the shaft of his spear.

Asher’s foot crashed into it with apocalyptic force, a concussive burst of wind erupted outward in rings as the air itself seemed to shatter. The wind barrier and sound barrier both broke at the exact point of impact. The sheer force behind Asher’s kick sent Number Four flying backward like a broken kite, his body propelled through the air uncontrollably.

As for Number Six, she had also reacted in time. She stopped Asher’s rapier dead in its tracks by forming an X-shaped block with her daggers. A harsh, screeching metallic resonance erupted from the clash, echoing sharply through the battlefield. The sudden force of the block drove Number Six backward across the ground. Her feet dug deep trenches into the earth as she skidded backward, sand, soil, stones, and pebbles exploding outward behind her as she struggled to stabilize herself.

Still suspended in midair, Asher did not forget about Number Five. His body twisted sharply as he turned, then he punched outward with immense force and weight, the strike tearing through the air with explosive pressure as his fist rocketed toward Number Five’s head.

Number Five’s instincts immediately kicked in, his reaction was instant. He raised his forearm and blocked the incoming strike. The force from Asher’s attack sank deeply into his arms, sending powerful vibrations through his body. Even so, the sheer impact pushed him backward just like Number Six, his feet dragged across the ground as he skidded several meters before finally coming to a stop.

Only then did Asher finally land upon the earth once more, his descent controlled and graceful, he straightened slowly, hiis purple eyes lifted to meet the gazes of the three opponents before him.

The next moment, a faint smile appeared on his lips, one that carried both excitement and anticipation, as though he were only now beginning to enjoy whatever fun this battle might bring.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: The updates are now stable, as I’ve adapted to the pains of my swollen fingers to type daily. Hope y’all can forgive missing two days of Chapters. Thanks for understanding, and also for the love and support.