Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 1005: An Honor [GT Ranking Bonus Chapter]

Malrik’s figure could be seen blurring through the trees before he finally came to a stop before his opponent. It was the man who had attacked him with a dagger earlier, then Malrik had sent the man flying with a punch, which the man had blocked.

He was Threshold XI.

He stood with a smile on his face as though he had been waiting for Malrik to arrive. His twin daggers were in hand, held in reverse grips. The moment Malrik’s figure flickered into place, Threshold XI spoke.

”It’s an honor to fight the First Sun, Malrik Wargrave.” His tone was calm, but someone could see a bit of drool rolling from the edge of his lips. After all, at this moment, he was wondering just how tasty Malrik’s flesh was. He preferred eating Humans over any other type of meat. Especially the men, as they possessed more muscles to chew on, making them more tasty and succulent for him.

”If it’s really an honor, then bow and kneel at my feet,” Malrik replied with a smile on his face.

Threshold XI was stunned, as he hadn’t expected Malrik to reply with such words. His eyes turned towards the distance where the Alphabets and the remaining Suns and Moons were about to fight as he spoke.

”It seems you believe in your siblings’ abilities way too much.” His eyes landed on Asher, then on Arianna. The stronger and more talented they were, the more tender the meat.

Malrik smirked as he replied, ”And it seems you trust your leader, Threshold I, way too much. Although this is the first time I’m coming face to face with you, it seems this is the same day your organization faces a catastrophic loss, starting with the death of your leader, then you.”

Malrik was the type that entertained his opponents. If they talked, he replied. If they made an arrogant statement, he would make an even more arrogant statement. It was all part of the fun of battle.

Threshold XI smirked, his eyes leaving Asher and Arianna as he replied, ”Shall we put that to the test, Bloodline Eraser?”

His demeanor changed as his entire presence turned cold and calculating, as though the person who had been talking in the past was just a split personality of some kind.

Malrik’s hand moved towards Solaris as he unsheathed the katana in one smooth motion, his smile remaining as he prepared to welcome the attack.

Threshold XI vanished from his position, his figure appearing before Malrik in less than a nanosecond, his speed fast, too fast. His daggers sang towards Malrik’s throat and chest as he went for a double slash right off the bat.

The moment he finished closing the distance and attacking, sound finally came as the place he had just left shattered, everything within one kilometer behind him being destroyed as a result of his speed.

Malrik’s katana blurred in a streak of silver as he met both attacks at the same time, a thunderous storm of orange sparks illuminating the space before them with burning intensity. Everything within a twenty-thousand-kilometer radius was torn to cinders.

But the both of them didn’t delay. They vanished into twin blurs, their weapons flying at each other’s vital points without a shred of hesitation.

Speed met speed.

Strength met strength.

Katana met daggers.

Slash met parry.

Stabs met deflection.

Thrust met blocks.

Feints met timely reactions.

Solaris screamed towards Threshold XI’s throat with a thrust, but Threshold XI was no pushover. He simply leaned backwards as he dodged just a centimeter beyond the tip of Solaris, as though he knew the full measurement of the blade.

But as he leaned backward, his dagger screamed outwards as he unleashed a horizontal cut at Malrik’s stomach. Seeing the incoming attack, Malrik bent his body inward as he dodged just beyond the reach of the attack.

Without missing a beat, both of them twisted to the side with a sidestep as though they mirrored each other’s motion. The moment they did, their weapons met again like battering rams, as neither refused to give the other an inch.

Threshold XI leaped backwards as he created a distance between himself and Malrik, then unleashed a million slashes with his daggers. Wind bent to his will as they converged around Malrik like a dome of endless, rotating crescent attacks.

Malrik smirked at the incoming attack. He didn’t bother to unleash his own sword attack. He simply lifted a foot, then stomped the ground. The moment he did, the entire terrain and air pressure rewrote themselves as a shockwave and earthquake pulsed outwards, slamming into the attacks and shattering them into nothingness.

Malrik immediately sheathed Solaris, his knee bent forward ever so slightly, and like a coiling spring, he shot forward. In one smooth motion, he unsheathed Solaris as he performed one singular slash at Threshold XI’s chest.

Threshold XI’s feet sank into the earth with a grin as he shifted into a stance, his two daggers positioned before him and pointed towards the sky as he welcomed the attack head-on.

With a roaring metallic blast of two metals meeting, Malrik’s slash collided with Threshold XI’s body. Threshold XI felt his entire body shake as though he was on the brink of collapse, but the grin on his face never left. Threshold XI shot backward as he could no longer hold on, while Malrik shot forward, their weapons still locked against each other.

Malrik pushed Solaris forward, launching the man backwards even more. Threshold XI twisted as he landed on the ground with a deft touch, canceling his own momentum.

The moment he landed, Astra energy roared from his body as he came to understand that he couldn’t take on Malrik with just his physical strength. With Astra energy cloaking his body, he closed the distance once more.

Malrik didn’t bother enhancing his own body with Astra energy. To him, Threshold XI was the weakest Threshold. He wasn’t even as strong as Orvak, so the man didn’t warrant the amount of power and effort he had put in to kill the Sinvaira of Carnage.

As Threshold XI closed in, Malrik welcomed him with open arms. He dodged the attack with the calm ease of someone who stood above the other, his katana singing like a bird through the air as he slashed at the man’s neck with lethal precision.

But Threshold XI twisted out of the way as he used the wind to his advantage, dodging to the side at the last possible moment. Malrik’s missed attack tore through everything within a forty-kilometer radius with insulting ease.

Threshold XI couldn’t help but frown. Although he was enhancing himself, he could see that Malrik still seemed to be matching him without enhancing himself.

’Is he holding back against me?’ The thought flickered into his mind.

Anger surged in his chest. Although he might be the weakest amongst the Thresholds, he wouldn’t be looked down upon.

But the moment he had that thought, Malrik recalibrated. He turned on his foot, his missed horizontal slash turning into a high backheel kick.

Threshold XI braced for impact. The speed had been too fast for him to follow. Astra energy surged to his temple as he moved to tank the damage through the small barrier forming around it.

Malrik’s foot met the small Astra energy barrier. The moment the back of his foot met the barrier, it was as though the world itself had collapsed as a titanic shockwave tore outwards, the barrier shattering in tandem as the back of his foot made contact with Threshold XI’s temple.

Threshold XI’s head snapped sideways, his neck following before dragging the entire body along. His body turned into a blur as he crossed two thousand kilometers, his body tearing through the landscape as though the concept of thousands of kilometers was no more than mere meters to those of their caliber and existential standing.

Threshold XI rotated as he landed on his feet, his body dragging backwards as he slid to a stop. His consciousness seemed to flicker in and out as though he had become dizzy, but he simply willed himself to remain conscious.

How could he faint from a simple kick? He was Threshold XI. He was talented, and in a couple of decades, he would match people like Threshold V and above. He couldn’t afford to faint here; that would be a disgrace.