Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 984: Corpses

Asher sat stunned at the scene before him. He couldn’t believe it; he dared not believe it. HE FUCKING DARED NOT.

In front of him were the corpses of the people he had just been talking to, the blood of those who had just been complaining that Malrik’s soul-bound katana’s ability was a secret.

The horror before Asher was simply too graphic. Before him lay various corpses. Rachael’s corpse could be seen torn open, her eyes burst apart as the lower part of her face had been burnt off. Beside her was Olivia, the Eighth Moon, who seemed to have tried protecting her at the very last possible split second. She too had died, her corpse burnt to a crisp as her body could be seen sprawled over Rachael’s.

The other Suns and Moons, ranging from Apollo to Xavian to Thalric to Ezekiel, and the Moons, Mary, Wuthenya, Xavienne, and Mary, lay scattered across the ground in various directions, their bodies torn apart. One could see that their eyes were wide open, as though they had died in utter shock.

Their limbs and various parts of their bodies could be seen scattered across the devastated landscape as their blood flowed and pooled together. They weren’t the only ones. The three Baron families, Baron Rivelle, Baron Canestane, and Baron Whale, were all dead, together with their wives, children, and the minor guards they had brought with them.

Asher was motionless. He couldn’t move. His mind had ground to a halt, his soul seemed to have frozen within his body, as the only thing that moved at this moment was his flesh knitting itself back together as Virelass healed him regardless of the horror and the situation. Asher was simply her top priority, no one else.

Asher couldn’t help but deny the reality before him. His Accelerated Thought Process had also ground to a halt at this moment, as it seemed as though reality itself had been lying to him. Just hours ago, his father, Azaron, had been telling him that he would protect everyone, that he would stand against everything, yet... here, their corpses were before his very eyes.

To Asher, this had to be an illusion. It literally had to be. Someone had to be messing with his mind. Someone had to definitely be fucking with him and playing tricks. That was the only explanation. There was no fucking way his family had just been one-shotted like some random nobodies.

[Ding]

[The system reminds the Host that, due to the existence of the system, the Host is immune to the mental influence of any power scaling, be it illusion or otherwise. The system also reminds the Host that he is almost immune to soul manipulation. The scene before the Host is no illusion but reality]

The system chimed as it responded to Asher’s thoughts, as though it wouldn’t stand for the slander that someone had bypassed its protection. Not even the Fruit Of Dawn had been able to do that.

Asher’s purple eyes trembled with pure horror, his blood running cold as the system gave him a reality check, as though it couldn’t care less that his family and the families of his friends had been wiped out in a single strike.

Asher couldn’t help but remember that just over a week ago he had said he would gladly take the lives of those who came after him. But now, now... ... ... his thoughts ceased.

Asher immediately shot to his feet as he rushed towards the nearest corpse before him. As he arrived, he bent down to gently lift the body up, but he couldn’t. It was Rachael’s body. He remembered that he had promised her they would spar together. He had planned to invite her, together with Finch, to the Wargrave Estate.

He finally bent down as he lifted her, his entire body trembling as every negative emotion known to mankind filled his body; sadness, anguish, guilt, anger, madness.

”Rachael...” his voice broke as he stared at her blue hair, tears falling from his face.

His attention shifted towards Olivia, who had protected Rachael to the very end.

”Sister Olivia...” Asher spoke, his tone barely above a whisper as his hands held her burnt body ever so delicately, as though if he moved too much or too suddenly, her charred corpse would crumble into a heap of coal and ash.

He held her, the tears from his face falling upon her charred corpse, immediately burning away into mist. He turned his head towards Wuthenya, whose eyes were filled with pure horror and shock, as only the upper half of her body remained while everything below her chest had been blown away.

Asher couldn’t help but remember the first time he had met Wuthenya, how she had been perceptive enough to immediately notice him using Omni Perception on her. How she had jokingly told him that if she ever died, he should avenge her.

Asher’s fist tightened, his nails digging into his palm until he drew blood.

”Plea...se... co... come... ba...b... back...” his broken voice echoed as he held what was left of her body, his heart racing as blood pumped faster and faster through his veins.

Asher staggered forward through the heat and flame-warped battlefield that was no different from an erupting volcano, his body almost collapsing to the ground as he walked towards the corpses of his other siblings, all of them having died with their eyes wide open.

People like Caldor and Annabelle hadn’t even survived, their bodies having been completely obliterated into oblivion. The only reason he, Asher, had survived was because of his immunity to heat- and flame-based attacks.

Asher’s eyes were bright red as anger and grief consumed him. What could he do? Roar in anger? Scream at the top of his lungs until some kind of mysterious power awakened? Please. Crymora didn’t work that way. Power only came through training, mastering one’s abilities, and awakening, not through crying one’s eyes out and experiencing the most intense emotions imaginable.

Reality did not bend its rules simply because someone had lost his entire family. If he wanted the power for revenge, then he would have to train for it. Scream until he suddenly broke through and stepped into the Crownstar Life Rank? Please.

Asher’s eyes immediately turned cold as he stared at his siblings’ corpses.

”WHOEVER YOU ARE, FUCKING SHOW YOURSELF!!!” he couldn’t help but shout in rage.

How could he just stand here and cry his eyes out? He had to see the person, or the group, responsible for this. The people who had taken everything from him.

Run? Well... while that had always been an option in Asher’s book whenever he encountered an opponent he couldn’t take on, as he wasn’t delusional enough to fight someone stronger than himself to the death, Asher had thrown that thought, and that part of himself, out the window.

He would face these people who could only rely on sneak attacks. He didn’t care about the power difference. He didn’t care about their Life Rank. He didn’t care about the difference in age or battle experience. At this moment, anger and killing intent had completely consumed the cold and calculating side of Asher.

”I SAID FUCKING SHOW YOURSELVES!!!” he shouted once again, his StellarFlame about to erupt from his body, but before it could, a familiar voice echoed within his ears.

”R...un.... Youngest...”