CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 1017: A Proud Father

"Sigh... no matter how many times I see you use your ability, I still can’t get used to it, Uncle Morthern," Frank Wargrave, the First Elder, spoke.

He touched his chest where an injury to his heart had been, and it had vanished. A smile touched his lips as he remembered his opponent that had managed to push him this far. He couldn’t help but look forward to meeting the man again, as the man had escaped as he, Frank, was about to kill him.

Hearing Frank’s words, Morthern simply shook his head with an almost imperceptible smile as he spoke, "Even I myself am shocked every time I gain a new skill or ability," he stated, as he too was fascinated by his own ability despite having it for almost three hundred years now. "And also, if you let your enemies escape next time, I wouldn’t heal you, or anybody else," he added.

Frank gave a helpless smile. Crownstar Life Rankers always possessed life-saving artefacts, and even they who were Wargraves all possessed one. Although they loved battles, they weren’t stupid.

At the side, some Elders, Azaron’s siblings, also shook their heads as their own enemies had escaped too. Practically, only Morgana, Damian, Morthern, and Malrik had killed their own opponents, meaning four Thresholds had died and seven had fled with critical injuries that would turn fatal if they didn’t get their injuries healed.

Battles between Crownstar Life Rankers were always like this. There was always a fifty-fifty chance of killing your opponent or then escaping if you were both evenly matched. So, them killing four Thresholds out of them was a huge win already.

And the fact that this was from an Organization that had evaded the whole world for almost a century, if not more. And on the first time they showed themselves, they suffered the loss of four top fighters. Surely, that was a huge loss, and it would only make them hide more, after all, injuries took decades or years to heal, depending on the severity of the injuries.

On a normal case, they might go into hiding for two decades because of all the injuries they suffered.

But, with someone like Threshold I being alive, she could heal all their injuries in a matter of hours with her Freedom ability. But that was if they allowed her, after all, they were a sick Organization, and they all had their fears. Who knows what Threshold I might "add" or "do" to their bodies in the process of the healing.

This was why Crownstar Life Rankers hardly surrendered to healers. But it meant just lying there like a corpse, doing nothing. And any experienced healer could just do something by "mistake," and you might die.

So, if the Thresholds would show up anytime soon, whether for revenge or anything else, only time and their trust in Threshold I would tell.

"What about me?" Azaron spoke with an expressionless face. "My enemy also escaped, does that mean you wouldn’t heal me next time?" he asked.

Everyone knew he was just playing around, but one couldn’t see it on his face or sense it within the tone of his voice.

Morthern simply shook his head with a calm smile, not bothering to reply, as he knew Azaron had a way to heal himself and even regenerate his own stamina. The man didn’t need anybody’s healing.

"I can’t believe that there was someone strong enough to injure Father and the Great Elders," Apollo, the Fifth Sun, stated lazily as he floated in the air as he stared at Azaron’s torn clothes.

Everyone’s expression flickered with minor shock, their eyes dancing to the other Great Elders, even Azazel, whom they had come to understand could match their Father in the past. It was truly surprising to see that an Organization of such a level existed.

As for the four Thresholds they had killed, it was Threshold III, killed by Great Elder Morthern, Threshold XI, killed by Malrik, and Threshold IV, killed by Great Elder Damian, and Threshold V killed By Great Elder Morgana.

"They are more dangerous than we thought," Isabella Wargrave, the Second Elder, stated with a sigh.

Everyone nodded at her words, after all, everyone here was injured, some receiving critical injuries, and that rarely happened. Well, not that they particularly cared, as injuries were part of battles.

But... one couldn’t help but wonder if there was someone or something stronger behind them, some sort of trump card they might have created given their Experiment Branch’s recent activities.

Azaron didn’t say words like everyone should train harder and stuff like that, he already knew all Wargraves were already training to the best of their abilities. But, he had to make sure that the next time he met these people, they all had to be wiped out at once.

Then after that, they would hunt and take down their branches throughout the planet.

’I wonder how they will retaliate,’ he thought to himself as it was basically certain that the living seven would avenge the dead four.

Azaron shook his head and decided to forget about the matter. For now, he would lock himself within the Wargrave Estate for a month or two, then create a Photon Clone, one he had copied from his youngest child, and let the Photon Clone explore the world, just so he could lure them out.

That was the plan for now, but he would run it by Malrik and Morthern, who were the smart and cunning ones.

After being healed, Azazel didn’t even speak to anybody as he made his way straight to his daughter, Arianna, who simply gave him a calm smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, knowing fully well she was physically fine after Morthern used Nature’s Embrace on them.

With the same smile on her face, she replied, "I’m fine, Dad."

Azazel gave a wide smile as his huge hand ruffled her black hair, but Arianna didn’t complain as her hair was already scattered after the battle.

"To think I would watch you one day become strong enough to kill a Voidstar Life Ranker," he stated, as he was simply too proud. How couldn’t he be? He had watched his daughter train herself to this level.

Throughout Asher’s and Arianna’s battle versus ’Z’, Azazel had deliberately been close enough so his senses would pick up his daughter and know whatever was happening as he planned to intervene whenever she was about to suffer a fatal blow.

After all, how could he just leave his daughter in some random battlefield and enjoy himself against another opponent? Something like that had killed his wife, he wouldn’t and couldn’t make the same mistake.

"Asher was the one who killed him, I just helped," Arianna replied as she removed her father’s hand from her head.

Although she said that, a smile appeared on her lips, after all, how couldn’t she be proud of her own achievements? Besides, there was much improvement to be made in her combat form and everything once she returned.

"And without you, he would have been captured, and without you, he would never have been able to kill ’Z’," Azazel stated with a wide grin on his face, "besides I know you can’t wait to tell your friends about your new achievements," he added.

Arianna stayed silent for a moment, then shook her head with a smile. She wouldn’t say anything to her friends. They weren’t as talented as her, and talking about her own battles and achievements too much might come out as boastful or showy.

Although her friends wouldn’t think or see it that way and would instead be enamoured by the battle, Arianna still wasn’t going to talk about it. She simply preferred keeping her achievements to herself, even though she knew her friends would be excited to hear about everything that had happened.

_____