Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 1104: Puppet [Magic Castle Bonus Chapter]

There were about ten wooden puppets, his purple eyes examining each of them calmly as he didn’t want to be suddenly caught off guard. Asher walked forward and came to a stop at the center of the room. He knew the wooden puppets had a purpose for being here, and the information would be sent to his mind as usual, so he didn’t speak.

And indeed, the information came rushing in. Since the essence of the Combat Refinement and Attunement room was to fight, then that was all they were going to do, and nothing else. This wouldn’t be like the time he had sparred with Shadow FatelessPen, which was a being of his own mental creation.

One of the puppets twitched as the next moment, it rose to its feet. Asher deactivated Omni Perception, as Virelass appeared in his hand while he stood ready for anything and everything. Although the puppet didn’t have eyes, Asher felt as though he could feel its gaze on him. The puppet turned to the side where a bunch of weapons were lined up, and from the weapon racks, the puppet took out a spiked club as though it wanted to smash him into nothing but meat paste.

There was no counter, no notification; it was simply just to fight, and since Asher possessed the ability to heal himself, the Combat Refinement and Attunement room welcomed injuring him and even taking a few limbs.

The puppet focused on Asher once more, then took a step. With that step, it appeared in front of him, the spiked club already tearing down from above as the puppet attacked without a shred of hesitation, uncaring whether he was handsome and talented.

Asher’s reaction came instantly as his hand blurred upwards, Virelass positioning horizontally above his head as he moved for a block. And with a thunderous crash, the metallic spiked club met the rapier, a nerve-wracking metallic shriek erupting between them as metal met metal, a shockwave tearing outwards in all directions.

Asher didn’t hesitate. With one hand holding Virelass, the other tore through the air barrier as he punched towards the puppet’s chest. This was combat training, not swordsmanship training, so all forms of attack went.

Seeing the incoming attack, the puppet simply jumped upward as it performed a front flip over Asher’s head, directly above Virelass, but the puppet didn’t just dodge. The moment it performed the flip, it swung its leg backwards without facing Asher, its foot heel streaking straight for Asher’s skull.

Although he didn’t have Omni Perception at the moment, it didn’t mean his normal base perception and senses were suddenly useless. Although he had never seen this type of attack before, it didn’t mean he couldn’t react to it. His body shot to the side as he expertly dodged, the wind exploding in his ears as he moved.

But he didn’t just dodge. He turned, and as he turned, he unleashed an upward slash at the puppet that was about to land. But as the attack was about to land, the puppet instantly raised its spiked club and blocked, another roaring shockwave booming outwards, slamming into the walls of the room.

The puppet twisted its wooden wrist, shifting Asher’s rapier to the side as it was caught between a few spikes. Asher’s body bent in the direction of the twist, and the moment he bent, the puppet unleashed a wicked kick to his head. Asher’s purple eyes snapped towards the incoming attack. He didn’t let go of Virelass; instead, his left hand moved as he blocked the toe attack that aimed for his temple with his palm.

As his hand was about to clamp down on the toes, the puppet instantly leaped backwards with its other leg as though it could sense Asher’s intentions. Asher immediately followed as he gave chase, but the moment he shot forward like an arrow, the puppet immediately stopped and shot forward too.

Asher unleashed a hundred pinpoint thrusts within a single second. But the puppet seemed unconvinced as its speed surged, its figure turning into a phantom as it slipped through each thrust as though they were attacks made by a child.

As it slipped through the last thrust, its spiked club closed in for Asher’s chest. As the attack closed in, Asher’s foot pivoted as he shifted his center of gravity and twisted out of the way. But the moment he dodged, the puppet seemed to read him as its wooden elbow snapped towards his face.

Asher’s gaze flickered as he sensed and read the incoming attack, his body bending backwards, his spine bending as his back became parallel to the ground. But he didn’t just dodge. He dodged as he stomped one foot forward, and with a booming force, his foot met the wooden puppet’s side.

The puppet skidded backwards, then came to a halt as it canceled the momentum behind Asher’s attack. Its head snapped towards Asher as though surprised that Asher had found such a small window to capitalize on.

Asher stared at the puppet for a moment, then decided to take the initiative this time. He took a step, his form appearing before the puppet as though the space and distance between them had been deleted. The moment he appeared, his knee left the metallic ground as his knee swung towards the brown wooden chest of the puppet.

The puppet immediately threw its spiked club into the sky as it crossed its wooden arms into an X to guard its chest as though that was where its core was. With a deafening blast, Asher’s foot tore into the puppet’s forearms, but the puppet had tanked it.

The moment it tanked Asher’s attack, it clamped down on Asher’s knee, spun around with Asher in its grip, and threw him at the wall. But Asher wasn’t one to fall for the same attack twice. He instantly canceled the momentum and force as he twisted and landed like a human with feline genes.

The puppet leaped into the air, its figure appearing beside the spiked club that was about to start its descent, and without a shred of hesitation, it kicked the club by the butt of the handle. The weapon streaked forward towards Asher’s current position. Asher’s attention snapped towards the incoming attack. He didn’t hesitate; he swung his rapier upwards to meet and deflect the incoming weapon to the side.

But as the weapon was about to meet weapon, the puppet closed the distance in an instant, its right hand catching its weapon and halting it in place before Asher could deflect it, while its left palm met Asher’s chest with brutal impact.

Asher felt the force, pain blooming in his chest as his body tore backwards and slammed into the wall behind him. He felt pain, but ignored it. He had broken a small bone or two, but that didn’t matter. His attention stayed on the puppet that had just played with his attention, as the puppet had used the spiked club to draw his attention first, then dealt damage the moment he moved to defend.

He had to admit, it was pretty impressive.

He calmly rose to his feet, a smile appearing on his lips as it seemed as though the attack that had just landed on his chest had awakened his dormant senses that had been asleep for the past three months.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: After one thousand years, I’ve finally gotten a Super Gift!!!!!

Bonus Chapter sponsored by Kervoka. Thanks for the Magic Castle, man. Truly appreciate it.