Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 931: Determination

But… although Empress Nymeria thought through all of this, she wasn’t entirely convinced by her own plan. She wasn’t certain that Asher would die like the others, as her intuition told her that such an outcome wasn’t likely to happen. After all, Arianna, who had been blessed by the World itself, had still lost to him.

To Empress Nymeria, Asher Wargrave might as well have been blessed by the Star. Her conclusion stemmed from his Star Energy, Star Affinity, and Star Form.

And it was common knowledge that a Star was greater than a Planet. It was obvious which of the two was more powerful.

She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if Asher ate the Fruit of Dawn. What if his Star Affinity itself evolved? How ridiculous would Asher become? What kind of absurd existence would she have unknowingly aided in evolving?

But then, another thought slithered into her mind.

Surely, various dark organizations and other hidden forces had spies within this gala, because even they would naturally be curious about the reward. If Asher Wargrave were allowed to take the reward home, wouldn’t that mean he would be attacked at every waking moment? After all, no one would witness such a reward and simply look the other way.

Although all the Wargraves were present, to many people, it would still be worth the risk.

Although the chances of Asher dying were small due to the Wargraves’ monstrous lineup, Empress Nymeria knew that such people would never give up. Even if Asher later consumed the Fruit and survived, the target on his back would simply multiply and skyrocket to an unimaginable degree, as everyone would be gunning for his head.

And if he died, maybe… just maybe… the Fruit of Dawn would return to the hidden vault of the Velkarin Empire. After all, the original condition for its return was that the person who consumed the Fruit of Dawn couldn’t withstand its power.

So that remained only a possibility. She would simply have to wait and find out.

But no matter how things turned out… chaos, madness, and bloodshed were inevitable. Who would die, who would live, and who would ultimately emerge victorious remained unknown.

Empress Nymeria smiled to herself as she planned to leave the Thalvorn Empire as soon as possible. She had no intention of remaining anywhere near this place when everything exploded. She wouldn’t order the students, nobles, or anyone else to return with her immediately, as that would only draw suspicion toward herself.

They might die, but the Velkarin Empire never lacked geniuses, talents, or nobles. New ones would simply rise to replace the old.

Arianna’s face had also twisted into a deep frown, much like the Empress of her Empire, though for an entirely different reason. She hadn’t known about the Fruit of Dawn either, as she too had been kept in the dark like everyone else. She had made countless guesses about what the reward could be, but her mind had never wandered toward something as utterly ridiculous as a Fruit capable of such evolution.

The reason she was frowning was simple. The gap between herself and Asher was about to skyrocket.

When she had returned to her hotel two days ago, she had told her three friends not to visit her. She had then locked herself inside her room, spending those two entire days doing almost nothing but training, beginning by addressing every flaw in her swordsmanship and skills that Asher had detected during their battle.

And now, before her very eyes, she was being told that the gap between them would only widen rather than shrink. If it had been any random person who had obtained the Fruit of Dawn, she might not have cared, as her confidence in herself was absolute.

Although she never asked Asher about it, she could feel that he had already become stronger over the past two days. She didn’t even know how such a thing was remotely possible, but she knew it for a fact. And now, with this reward added to the equation… the gap had widened even further.

Arianna’s fingers clenched in silent determination as her expression gradually relaxed. She wasn’t jealous of Asher. She had never been jealous of anybody.

She simply had her work cut out for her, and she intended to see it through. She wouldn’t remain the weaker one here.

Asher was stunned as he stared at the Fruit of Dawn. His hand slowly rose as he reached out to touch it, but the Fruit itself floated toward him as though it too could sense him. Asher felt something within himself react; Star Energy.

The Fruit of Dawn gently floated above Asher’s palm as he stared at it in astonishment, wondering what kind of evolution awaited him. He couldn’t help but imagine his Star Affinity evolving. He couldn’t help but imagine the Absolute Physique taking another step forward.

How glorious would such evolution be?

Asher couldn’t help but wonder how such a fruit had remained untouched for so long without anyone consuming it. Personally, if he possessed such an item, he would devour it without hesitation rather than leave it behind even for his children. After all, why shouldn’t he eat it?

Asher’s eyes shifted to the side. He could feel the countless gazes, the killing intent, and the greed burning within everyone around him, yet none of them dared take a single step because Azaron and the others were already present.

Asher could already feel that the space surrounding the entire hall had been completely locked down. It was Azaron’s doing. The man had taken the initiative so that no one could teleport in or out. More importantly, he wanted to prevent the Fruit from suddenly vanishing from Asher’s hand because someone had teleported it away.

Asher immediately attempted to move the Fruit into his system inventory. He wouldn’t dare leave such a treasure inside his space ring. Once he returned to the Wargrave Estate, he would consume the Fruit peacefully and undergo whatever evolution awaited him.

But before the Fruit of Dawn could disappear into his system inventory, Malrik spoke.

“Youngest, you will be eating that thing here and right in front of everyone,” his tone remained calm, his back still facing Asher as his cold blue eyes remained fixed upon the ground before him.

The other Wargraves turned toward Malrik, unable to understand his reasoning. Wasn’t allowing Asher to consume it back at their estate the safest possible option?

Malrik didn’t explain himself. He didn’t give the Elders or Great Elders so much as a nod. His hands simply remained clasped behind his back as Solaris stayed ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice.

The other Wargraves might not have been particularly cunning, preferring to simply obliterate their enemies through sheer power or toy with them for a while before ending them, but Malrik had always been intelligent to an almost frightening degree.

By making Asher consume the Fruit here, no dark organization would continue pursuing Asher or any member of the Wargrave Family solely for the Fruit itself, because everyone would witness him consuming it with their own eyes. Although, personally, Malrik would have loved for those dark organizations to make a move for the Fruit so he could slaughter them all, the safety of his siblings and loved ones would always come before everything else.

And with that, one of Empress Nymeria’s carefully laid plans crumbled before it could even unfold.